A series of artworks created by Ozzy Osbourne will be displayed for the first time in the U.S. at the Spectrum Miami art fair during Miami Art Week. From Dec. 3 through Dec. 7, visitors will have access to the collection of abstract paintings completed by the musician prior to his death on July 22. The works were created in collaboration with chimpanzees who learned how to paint at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida.
“I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don’t sell my paintings,” Osbourne said in July. “I’ve made an exception with these collaborations as it raises money for Save the Chimps, a sanctuary for hundreds of apes rescued from labs, roadside zoos and wildlife traffickers.” A number of signed works from the collection were auctioned to raise funds for the non-profit. They raised $75,000, with one piece titled “Paranoid” selling for $18,000.
Courtesy of Save the Chimps
“Chimps are our closest relatives in the animal world, and I’m proud of Ozzy for summoning the energy to support them during his last months, despite his health challenges,” Sharon Osbourne said in a statement. “The original paintings raised much needed funds for the sanctuary, and the prints, scarves and T-shirts will give even more fans the opportunity to help.”
The five works Osbourne created were named after his own songs including titled “Blizzard of Ozz,” “Electric Funeral,” “Paranoid,” “Tattooed Dancer,” and “Technical Ecstasy.” They will be available at Spectrum Miami in the form of limited-edition prints, scarves, and T-shirts.
“Only about 10 percent of chimpanzees enjoy painting at the sanctuary,” Save the Chimps Events Director Dan Mathews said in a statement. “Ozzy was a man of the people, so we priced the prints and merch so his fans could participate in this fundraiser that we decided to launch on Ozzy’s birthday that coincided with Miami Art Week. Painting is just one of many enrichment activities we offer our residents. Some really enjoy it, while others prefer food puzzles, foraging activities, or picture books.”
Osbourne premiered the Save the Chimps collection just days after his farewell concert with Black Sabbath, Back to the Beginning. He died just over two weeks later.
This week, the musician’s estate also announced the sale of a limited run of T-shirts that bite back at comments made by Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters in the wake of Osbourne’s death.
One side of the shirt plasters “Ozzy Rules” in bright red and yellow typography over an image of Waters’ The Wall: Live in Berlin album cover. The other side reads “Another Prick in the Wall” with an image of Osbourne urinating a rainbow onto the record. In August, during a podcast appearance, Waters said Osbourne “was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense,” adding: “The music, I have no idea. I couldn’t give a fuck.”
During a recent podcast episode, Sharon responded, saying Waters “has no charisma, OK? He looks like Frankenstein. The guy is sick in the head … Nobody likes him. This is not just us. Nobody likes this man unless you’re a fascist. He’s one of those … He’s just pathetic.” A snippet of the audio plays in the Instagram post announcing pre-orders for the T-shirt.
