Rescued by Joanne Lefson in May 2016 from an intensive factory farm in South Africa just weeks before she would be sent to the slaughterhouse, Pigcasso was taken to Farm Sanctuary SA in Franschhoek (South Africa). From the moment the piglet arrived, she ate or destroyed everything except a paint brush that had been left in her stall. Lefson was intrigued by the pig’s interest in the brush and decided to nurture the pig’s interest. It didn’t take long before ‘Pigcasso’ was creating artworks that inspired a global audience.
Pigcasso is the most accomplished non-human animal artist is history for a number of reasons. She became the first animal artist to host a solo art exhibition at the V&A Waterfront (Cape Town South Africa) in 2017. Over the years that followed, Pigcasso continued to host solo exhibitions around the world which included Netherlands Germany, France, China and the United Kingdom.Pigcasso also headlined NISSAN’s 50th anniversary and in 2019, she designed the SWATCH watch which sold out around the world within hours.
Pigcasso made international headlines in 2021 when she sold ‘a painting WILD and Free’ for 20 000GBP. This was an official world record for the highest selling artwork ever painted by an animal. The previous record was held by a chimpanzee called Congo who’s three artworks sold for £14.000 in 2005. Her art is collected by celebrated notables which include Rafael Nadal and Dr Jane Goodall.
In March 2024, Pigcasso died of chronic Rheumatoid arthritis at 8 years old. In her lifetime. she generated invaluable media awareness for the plight of farmed animals and raised millions of rands from the sale of her art that continues to sustain Farm Sanctuary SA and other charities that resonate with her mission.
