A self-portrait of Johnny Depp was sold on July 20, depicting the Hollywood star at the center of lawsuits related to his marriage to ex-wife Amber Heard.

Drawn by Johnny Depp in 2021 in the studio of British illustrator Ralph Steadman, the artwork titled Five was not completed until this year, according to Reuters .

“The self-portrait was created at a time… one could say it was a bit dark, a bit confusing. I looked at it and didn’t know why I drew it, I thought the painting needed something else”, Johnny Depp said.

Selling self-portrait of Johnny Depp in 'dark times' - Photo 1.

Self-portrait of Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp married Amber Heard after meeting on the set of the movie The Rum Diary in 2015. Just over a year later, she filed for divorce.

Their stormy relationship was exposed in two trials.

Last year, Johnny Depp was awarded an almost complete victory by an American jury in the libel trial of Heard, who accused him of abuse. Depp denies hitting his ex-wife or any other woman.

Two years earlier, the actor lost a defamation lawsuit in the UK against The Sun , a newspaper that called him a “wife beater”. London High Court judge ruled that Johnny Depp repeatedly assaulted Amber Heard, causing him to be removed from the Harry Potter spin-off series Fantastic Beasts .

Depp said the painting was inspired by a photo taken in 2015 when he became the face of Dior men’s perfume.

Johnny Depp said: “During that time, no matter how much pain I was in, Dior was steadfast in not canceling the contract and that was unbelievable.”

Five belongs to Johnny Depp’s Friends & Heroes collection , drawing famous people such as Elizabeth Taylor, Al Pacino, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards… and is for sale by British retail art gallery Castle Fine Art.

Selling self-portrait of Johnny Depp in 'dark times' - Photo 2.

Actress Amber Heard

“I think this is the most personal work he’s ever done,” said Ian Weatherby-Blythe, managing director of Castle Fine Art. Depp’s debut art collection, including his Friends & Heroes celebrity portrait series , has sold out.

Priced at $1,950, the self-portrait sold in 13 days.

Johnny Depp said he deducted 200 USD from the proceeds from each painting sale to donate to the non-profit organization Mental Health America.