Derren Brown may be best known as a mentalist and illusionist, with his latest stage production Showman wowing audiences last year. Yet the 52-year-old is a man of many talents, as he’s also an accomplished author and artist.
During lockdown, Brown focused his creative efforts on celebrity caricature paintings with his take on the late great Freddie Mercury being a real standout.
Having enjoyed that âtotally different identityâ as an artist away from his usual magical antics, he actually ended up pausing when the world opened up again.
Throwing himself into Showman, he found himself working on his next production Unbelievable during the day, before performing in the evening.
But a couple of years on and heâs finally returned to those brush strokes, with a portrait of Elvis Presley kicking off a new series of paintings.
Speaking exclusively with Express.co.uk, Brown admitted he isnât particularly a fan of Elvis but was certainly inspired to caricature him after seeing the 2022 movie. He said: âI did love [the Baz Luhrmann biopic], I have to say.â
Now 52, he shared that as he gets older itâs the big iconic names like The King of Rock and Roll who heâs attracted to bring to life on the canvas.
The illusionist said: âHe always felt like somebody I should do and I think the film bounced the idea back into my head. So when I came to paint, he just sort of made sense. [Elvis is one of these] big characters that end up populating your life even if theyâre in the background, even if you donât listen to them or watch them a lot. Years ago I had this quite clear thought that at some point, shortly before death, weâll each have this sense of âOh those were all the people, not just celebrities but anybody, who populated my life.ââ
As a result, Brown says he ends up having a kind of nostalgic âaffectionâ for such people from music icons to the people who he regularly sees in the street.
Brownâs Elvis painting has the usual exaggerated characteristics of his other caricatures, with The Kingâs famous lip curl being particularly prominent. He reflected: âItâs squidgy and spongy, making it fun to paint.” But what really stands out about this piece is the artistâs choice of 1950s black and white with hints of colour: blue eyes, a blue background and red lips. Red, white and blue, perhaps represent the Americana that such a legend as Elvis embodies to this day.
This is just the start of Brownâs latest wave of portraits with David Bowie coming next. After which he’s thinking maybe Leonard Cohen, who he listens to as he paints â along with the music of Rufus Wainwright and Jeff Buckley.
Meanwhile, Unbelievable is set to open in Londonâs West End next week, a show Brownâs not personally in but has his fingerprints all over.
Brown shared: âItâs not even magicians in it, itâs actors and musicians.â He promises âan egoless magic family showâ, a change from his dark, scary, edgier side of performances like Showman. He added: âItâs been a difficult and much more complicated process than we thought because it hasnât been done before.â
Asked about the next time he plans to get back on stage himself, the mentalist replied: âMy plan, really for the next year, is just to paint and write a new book, so expect a lot more pop stars with big noses and big ears!â
To order an Elvis Presley print or other artwork by Derren Brown, click here.
To book tickets for Unbelievable at Londonâs Criterion Theatre, click here.