Brad Pitt Talks About Finding “Joy” In His Art Following The “Misery” Of His Split From Angelina Jolie
Earlier this week, we learned about Brad Pitt’s latest passion project, a multi-million dollar recording studio on the grounds of Chateau Miraval, the winery he co-owns with Stoli against his will. But that was like two days ago. He’s already talking about something else: his love of sculpture and guitar. At least one of which he admits to sucking at. As was reported last month, Brad has teamed up with his friends, musician Nick Cave and contemporary visual artist Thomas Houseago, to launch a collective art exhibition in Finland. And while talking to the Financial Times about their exhibit, he briefly got into his split from Angelina Jolie without really getting into his split from Angelina Jolie.
The exhibit’s theme, called We, is inspired by artists’ “mutual misery,” and is meant to offer a “simple but strong message of love, hope, friendship and forgiveness, celebrating creativity over destructive forces.” It’s Brad and Nick’s first art exhibit. While Thomas’s work is the primary draw, Brad will be showing “a number of sculptures,” and Nick “is exhibiting a darkly narrative series of ceramic figurines.” As Thomas says, “we’re like a boy band!” Brad’s rugged intellectualism has clearly rubbed off on him. FT reports:
We’re just three dudes, and we’re just making stuff,” says Leeds-born, LA-based artist Thomas Houseago. He’s talking about himself, two of his closest friends – who happen to be the musician Nick Cave and the actor Brad Pitt – and their new collective art exhibition. The bizarreness of this trio is not lost on him. “We know we are totally ridiculous. But it’s real,” he adds, his voice full of energy. “If you see Brad Pitt – the Brad Pitt, right? You know, six pack, abs, whatever – that’s a movie creation. It’s fantastic, I love it. He’s one of the greatest actors of his generation. But there’s another human, that I know, who has enabled me to breathe in a new way. And I would like to think I’ve done the same for him.”
Cut to Lea Michele screaming at her agent, “get me this Thomas guy on the line. Groff’s out! This guy is gooood.” Sorry, Lea, this one’s taken. Thomas is actually the person who got Brad into sculpture a few years ago. Apparently, Brad was just moping around Thomas’ studio, so he threw him a bone to whittle.
Pitt and Cave have known each other for decades; they were both cast in the 1991 film Johnny Suede, but Pitt and Houseago were only brought together six years ago, at a New Year’s Eve party. Houseago was struggling with his mental health and Pitt had recently separated from his second wife, Angelina Jolie. A separation that has subsequently become a media frenzy. They hit it off immediately. “Our mutual misery became comic,” says Pitt, who began hanging out at the sculptor’s studio on a regular basis, finding an artistic outlet. “And out of this misery came a flame of joy in my life. I always wanted to be a sculptor; I’d always wanted to try it.”
And try it he did. Literally. One sculpture is called Slave To Our Vices, which depicts a figure with its head in a literal vice (one of the trio’s shared struggles is addiction). Brad is also showing “a number of simplified house-shaped silicone structures” with bullets inside titled, get this— Self-inflicted Gunshot Wound to the House.” (Note: Believe it or not, this is not Brad’s actual Twitter account below.)
This is my art work,Slave To Our Vices, 2022,Courtesy Studio BeeP, Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/GFbgI8n2va
— Williambradpitt (@officiallbrad25) October 12, 2022
Nailed it!
Here’s what Brad had to say about his work.
“It’s all about self-reflection,” he explains. “I was looking at my own life and really concentrating on owning my own shit: where was I complicit in failures in my relationships, where have I mis-stepped. For me, it was born out of ownership of what I call a radical inventory of self, getting really brutally honest with me, and taking account of those I may have hurt.”
Fret not, movie fans, it doesn’t look like we’re going to lose “one of the greatest actors of his generation” to Big Gallery anytime soon. Brad says his sculpturing “feels centred on art as therapy,” which is great. But not as great as learning that Nick is planning to continue to make his spooky little devils, which are “inspired by the Victorian Staffordshire flatback ornaments that he collects.” I’m happy to see Brad is working his shit out in private, but I’d be even happier if I could cop one of these little guys.
Pic: Aurore Marechal/ABACA/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images