Madonna took a night off from her Celebration world tour in Miami to view son Rocco Ritchie’s latest works at a gallery in Miami’s Design District. “So happy to have the night off to enjoy my son Rocco’s’s latest collection of paintings called Pack A Punch inspired by Muay Thai fighters. @miamidesigndistrict,” she captioned her Instagram post. Resplendent in a green suit and white cowboy hat, the Queen of Pop is seen admiring Rocco’s latest creations alongside some of his siblings. The show, organised by the dealer Jessica Draper, can be viewed by appointment today (12 April). According to the Miami Herald, the works are priced at $25,000 each.
Rocco Ritchie—whose dad is the film director Guy Ritchie— is quietly making his name as an artist. Last year he had a solo show of work in London and in an interview with Artnet News, Ritchie points out that he studied at Central Saint Martins and the Royal Drawing School in the city, citing Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud as influences with a special mention for Frank Auerbach (for the Miami show, Ritchie says he was “particularly inspired” by the Berlin-born artist’s current show at the Courtauld in London (until 27 May).
Rocco is no nepo baby, he says, explaining why he adopted a pseudonym. “Rhed was something I came up with to go under the radar in the first few years of making work… I’m proud of who I am and where I’ve come from, but I know people would have judged me aggressively in my early stages if I came out with my name,” said the budding art star.