who are the “nepo babies” of the art world?

We have already explained to you what the “nepo babies” are, the children of these stars who use their filiation to integrate into show business spheres, but unfortunately do not take this help. After an interview with Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp, everything went. He is the United States, here she claimed that her 100% rhinestone and glitter DNA wasn’t easy for her: “Maybe he’s got one foot in the door, but he’s still only putting one foot in the door. After that, there is still a lot of work to be done.”

We talked about it here first, just before that New York magazine Maya Hawke, Zoë Kravitz and John David Washington star alongside Lily-Rose Depp on the stunning cover. But “nepo babies” are not only found on the side of cinema or modeling: the art world – with its interpersonal relationships, codes and big money – is not outside the family’s well-being.

Of course, you cannot enter art without talent, but it is equally difficult to enter art without money. Beginnings are often difficult; You stand better when you have parents who believe that art can be a “real job” and have the funds to fund a few years of art that aren’t very lucrative.

It’s always easier to open a gallery when our father owns a place himself; it is easier to know something about painting when our mother spent her whole life in communication with artists; Taking pictures is easier when we have parents who take us on shoots or offer us a Leica for our 12 year old. Of course, some “nepo babies” are talented, others (much) less so, but we can’t help but wonder what would have happened to our parents if they had been Mr. and Mrs. Worldwide.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s son Rocco has been secretly painting under the name Rhed since 2018. In his first exhibition, he was described as a mysterious artist who grew up. “Between London and New York” By Tanya Baxter Contemporary London gallery.

The artist’s file – evidence of the importance attached to it, which appears on the gallery’s website and is presented from the search engine stage – shows that “expressionist style and vivid colors” his paintings as well as their echoes “The Dynamic Energy of New York Graffiti”Think of the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy.

Express interest “Anatomy of the human body”, the young artist has also been compared to Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, Paula Rego and even Helmut Newton. This rapprochement with the big names of the London School did not necessarily resonate with art critics.

In 2017, she published her first book, Brooklyn Beckham What I saw. A well-chosen title since the book is a collection of rather random snapshots of his (rich) daily life – generic photos of his (famous) family, (fuzzy) elephants, (not very imaginative) selfies.

“It’s more of a Beckham holiday album or printed Instagram feed than a photo book” photographer Rachel Oates described in her video “Brooklyn Beckham’s Book is So Bad is Funny.” This video is just a drop in the ocean of bad reviews received by the eldest of the Beckham sons.

He has expensive cameras “Every Photographer’s Dream”, Rachel Oates points out, but clearly doesn’t make amazing use of it. We have to start somewhere, we agree, but to see a beautiful book published at this technical and artistic level is a bit of coffee. Brooklyn also tried to get into the kitchen, without much success, and after his book came out, his Instagram account was more angry at his wife Nicola Peltz than his love of photography.

Hunter Biden is not erasing his “nepo baby” status. In February 2020, when he received a journalist New York Times in an art studio filled with a hundred works signed to his name, he admitted that he had difficulty legitimizing his art career, “I’m not sure what the world will say about it”.

A 50-year-old man said “Take this decision very seriously” : “Painting keeps me sane”He added that he had struggled with crack and alcohol addiction for years.

Hunter Biden is now represented at the Georges Bergès gallery and has already exhibited his work, despite mixed critical success. No matter, the artistic practice has become a way to keep his demons at bay, affirms the artist: “All I have left is my art. That’s the one thing that can’t be taken away from me. […] It keeps me away from people and places I shouldn’t be.”he admitted in 2020. He paints abstract or figurative paintings on supports (metal, polypropylene, paper) and various tools (brush, metal straw, alcohol ink).

But I’m not sure he would have been able to pursue this artistic catharsis full-time if his father hadn’t been the President of the United States of America. I’m not sure anyone would willingly hang one of his works in their living room unless it was signed with his name. It should be noted that the artistic fiber runs in the family since Macy, the granddaughter of the president and Hunter’s third child, draws and shares her works on her long-hidden Instagram account.

So far we have talked about the children of stars becoming artists, but what about the children of star artists? Seeing how difficult it is to compete with your parent on your own turf (see: Zidane’s children), many artist children have decided to stay in the art world and move to the other side of creativity, becoming a gallery owner, collector or art dealer.

This is the case, among others, of Pierre Matisse, Henri’s son, who became a specialist in modern art and a successful gallery owner in New York. During World War II, the collector presented his father’s works there, but also works by artists such as Andre Derain, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, Zao Wou-Ki or Kay Sage. Passionate, an expert in his subject (especially thanks to his father and relatives), he invested himself in many artists, their personal and professional lives.

Nepotism often has a hard life, and the passion for the profession spreads over several generations, thus creating a real empire. It’s like that in politics, it’s like that in media, it’s like that in art. One of the most established families in the estate is of Alsatian origin and five generations.

It all begins with tie dealer Nathan Wildenstein, who, almost by accident, became an art dealer and opened his first gallery in Paris in 1890 after spending several years selling Renaissance paintings and visiting museums to study art history. His son Georges opened a modern art gallery thanks to him and before buying himself. Fine Arts Journal. Daniel, grandson of Nathan and son of Georges, will easily and naturally manage the contemporary art gallery and the art gallery. Newspaper.

We can add to this list the names of Guy and his daughter Vanessa, who took up the torch of this troubled succession, arrested for forgery, Nazi-looted works, illegal signatures on disinheritance and bloody divorces. A series of scandals for a family that is worth several billion dollars and will perhaps dominate the art world in 2050. Keeping up with the Wildensteins.