Publications
Partners
Being the son of the queen of pop and a famous filmmaker means Rocco Ritchie has big shoes to fill, but he’s putting in the work to make a name for himself.
The eldest of Madonna’s two children from her marriage to director Guy Ritchie, Rocco (23) made headlines for his two-day pop-up art exhibition in Miami.
Titled Pack a Punch, the art on display was a glimpse into the London-based artist's body of work.
His collection consisted of 20 charcoal-drawn portraits of Muay Thai fighters inspired by his recent trip to Thailand. Each portrait was on sale for $25 000 (R475 000) and at the end of the exhibition he’d already sold five of them.
Since he made his debut on the art scene in 2018, his pieces have been raking in five-figure sums.
Madge took a break from her to to support her son at the exhibition and shared pics of them on Instagram. Her other kids, David, Mercy James and twins Stella and Estere were also present, but eldest daughter Lourdes didn’t attend the event.
“I’m so happy to have the night off to enjoy my son Rocco’s latest collection of paintings. I’m so proud,” Madonna captioned her post.
Rocco was born in 2000 while Madonna dated Guy. The pair tied the knot in the same year but divorced in 2008. Rocco lived with his father in the UK where he attended school and has remained.
He has a degree in fine art from Central Saint Martins College in London, and studied draftsmanship at the Royal Drawing School.
“I wasn’t academically strong, so I pursued the arts. I studied life drawing and that gave me more of a draftsman skill. It was 24/7 and I was constantly doing it,” he says.
Growing up with creative parents made the nudge towards the art industry that much easier for Rocco.
“It helped growing up in a house that was passionate about art and culture,” he told Vogue Hong Kong.
“My parents’ shared fascination eventually piqued my interest and since I can remember, I’ve always been surrounded by it.”
His parents haven't influenced his work, he says.
“They’re very talented in what they do. I draw inspiration from how hard they work. Their work ethic is my takeaway from years of advice.”
READ MORE | Ciao, Italy! Inside Madonna and her son Rocco Ritchie's lavish birthday celebrations in the Mediterranean
When Rocco’s name started trending recently he was dubbed "nepo baby of the week" but for three years, from 2018 to 2021, he went by the pseudonym Rhed and was described by his gallerist as “classically trained in fine art from the age of 16”.
For Rocco, it was important to fly under the radar as he established himself in the art world.
“I’m proud of who I am 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,” he says.
“I wanted to develop technically before showing under my name.”
There have been mixed reviews of Rocco’s art, with art dealer and gallery owner Tanya Baxter referring to him as a "young emerging artist whose cultural background is diverse and unconventional".
At the same time, art critics like Jonathan Jones have called Rocco’s paintings "clumsy adolescent efforts with no sign of originality or vigour".
READ MORE | These are the 6 most important people in Madonna's life and she simply adores them
Rocco pays no mind to the naysayers.
“People are always going to judge you. It’s up to me to focus on doing the work and committing to my passion and my love towards making art."
SOURCES: ARTNET.COM, PEOPLE.COM, VOGUE.COM, WWD.COM, MIAMIHERALD.COM, TATLER.COM, INSTAGRAM.COM
