Gerard Marti of the Robert Kidd Gallery in Birmingham had just sent an email on Friday about his gallery selling two sets of coveted actor Johnny Depp screen prints when the calls and emails started rolling in.
“People ask me how much it is, when are you going to get it, when can I see it?” Marty said.
Marti got two wallets, or sets, with four screen prints each from Depp’s “Friends & Heroes” collection. They feature Bob Dylan, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Elizabeth Taylor and Al Pacino. They’re selling for $30,000 for the wallet of four and although they didn’t sell out Friday night, they won’t last long, Marti said.
The prints have been so popular that they have already sold out in galleries across the country.
Marti said he knew Depp had been preparing to release a collection for a few months and on Thursday secured two portfolios from an editor he already works with in London.
“What’s crazy is that within hours it was sold out,” Marti said. “Johnny posted on Instagram that his collection was available and the editor told me yesterday the website crashed three times because so many people were trying to get it.”
But Marti was able to secure the wallets on Thursday and they will be sent to her in a few weeks.
“I already have a bunch of customers who are interested in buying them,” he said.
Depp, a lifelong artist outside of his acting, said he uses art “to express my feelings and to reflect on those who mean the most to me, like my family, my friends and the people I admire.”
“My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves,” he said.
But Marti thinks Depp’s high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard earlier this year – a jury ruled in Depp’s favor – is likely a factor in why people are even more interested in the collection.” Friends & Heroes” by Depp. And the impression will probably be worth even more down the road.
The lawsuit “went on for weeks and months, every day, so of course you got all this attention. On top of that, he ended up winning the case,” said Marti, whose gallery sells work. of art from a list of top artists. .
The Robert Kidd Gallery is located at 107 Townsend Street in Birmingham. Go to https://robertkiddgallery.com/.
mfeighan@detroitnews.com