Early life Pigcasso was a female pig (
Sus domesticus) born in April 2016 Lefson is a former professional golfer who briefly dated
John Denver and travelled the world with
Oscar, a dog she adopted and married, but later accidentally ran over, which it did not survive. Each of Pigcasso's works was signed by dipping her nose-tip into
beetroot ink and touching it onto the canvas. Pigcasso and Lefson were the first non-human/human collaboration to have held an art exhibition together,
OINK, which took place at the
V&A Waterfront in Cape Town in 2018. Subsequently, Pigcasso's works were displayed in art exhibitions in the Netherlands (2021); Germany (2022); the UK (2023); and China (2023/24). Pigcasso's artworks have been described as
Abstract expressionism and have sold for millions of rand to collectors around the world. Three of her most famous pieces are
Penguin,
Snowman, and
Mouse, each of which sold for $5,000 in 2021. A painting of
Prince Harry that was sold to a Spanish buyer for £2,350 in 2021 also received global notoriety, because of its subject. Works by Pigcasso have been held by
Jane Goodall,
Rafael Nadal, and
George Clooney. a record price for an artwork created by an animal. The canvas, titled
Wild and Free, was purchased by German art collector Peter Esser, eclipsing the £14,000 American collector Howard Hong paid for a painting by
Congo the chimpanzee. By the time of her death, Lefson had sold over $1 million worth of Pigcasso's paintings, with proceeds going towards the upkeep of the sanctuary where she lived. The relationship between Pigcasso and Lefson has been noted for igniting debate around the definition of art and animal creativity, while also drawing attention to the living conditions of farm animals around the world. Lefson stated that her aim is to educate the public about the devastating effects of
animal husbandry on the welfare of animals and the environment in order to inspire a kinder, more sustainable world.
Media The watchmaker
Swatch commissioned an artwork of Pigcasso's for a 2019 watch called
Flying Pig. She was also featured in the 60th anniversary advertisement of the
Nissan Skyline (2017), and in 2020, a "Pigcasso" range of wine, produced from the grapes that grow at the farm sanctuary where she lived, was launched. Over the course of her life, Pigcasso was featured on various global media channels. Her exploits were covered on
Saturday Night Live, ABC,
NBC,
CBS,
National Geographic,
Sky News, Pigcasso also appeared live on
The Jeremy Vine Show in 2020 and in publications such as
The Times newspaper and
Der Spiegel. In August 2023, a book about Pigcasso’s life was released in London, titled
Pigcasso. The Pig That Saved a Sanctuary, which includes a foreword by
Jane Goodall. A feature-length documentary chronicling Pigcasso’s journey from a piglet rescued from slaughter to becoming the world’s first painting pig premiered at the 2025 Durban International Film Festival as an official selection. The film is directed by award-winning South African filmmaker Stefan Enslin.
Illness and death Pigcasso had chronic
rheumatoid arthritis, which calcified her spine. Her condition deteriorated rapidly in September 2023 and by October her hind legs were nearly non-functional. On 6 March 2024, Lefson announced that Pigcasso had died. Goodall flew out to the sanctuary after hearing about the pig's condition, but arrived one day too late, with Pigcasso passing away before the two had a chance to formally meet. The next day, Goodall shared a tribute for the pig at a gala hosted by the sanctuary, raising R300,000 (or USD16,062) for her non-profit organisation. ==Notes==