Who owns Pigcasso? Details explored as swine artist that sold original paintings for over $1M dies aged 8

Pigcasso, a talented pig with a nose for art, recently died at 8. The pig sold over $1 million worth of paintings and was known as 'the most successful non-human artist' in the history of the world.

Joanne Lefson, who owned the 450-pound pig, announced that she died due to chronic Rheumatoid arthritis. She also revealed that prior to her death, both her back legs had become lame as a result of the illness, per New York Post.

While talking to Caters News, Lefson said:

"There is so much sadness that such an inspiring figure for welfare animals has passed. But we also celebrate a life well-lived and the profound difference she made."

---

Exploring the story of Pigcasso

Joanne Lefson rescued Pigcasso just before she was scheduled for slaughter in 2016 and took the animal to Farm Sanctuary SA in Franschhoek, South Africa. The Farm Sanctuary is a non-profit foundation providing a safe haven for rescued farm animals. While talking about the rescue, Lefson, as per NY Post, said:

"Pigcasso would have become bacon bit within 6 months of age. Instead she was saved and rose to inspire millions of people to reconsider what they eat through her extraordinary talent. Her legacy continues through the sanctuary and our mission to inspire a kinder, more sustainable world for all."

As per Pigcasso's official website, Lefson introduced the pig to painting after noticing that the animal ate or destroyed nearly everything except some old paint brushes in her stall. The pig painted by holding a modified toothbrush with her mouth and whipped it back and forth on canvas, creating artistic designs, as per a video captured by National Geographic in 2018.

All her pieces would be marked with her snout.

According to Lefson's book, Pigcasso: The Million-dollar artistic pig that saved a sanctuary, the pig's paintings have fetched up to $26,000 apiece and have raised more than $1 million from her artwork. Her art was bought by legends such as Rafael Nadal and British actor Ed Westwick. As per Lefson, the art has also been featured on Swatch watch faces which were sold for $1,000 each in 2019.

She was also the first animal artist to solo host an art exhibition, at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa in 2018.

While talking about the number of paintings, the pig has sold, Lefson noted:

"It's hard to say exactly how many paintings she has sold to date as we never kept track in the begininng."

As per Business Insider, the money earned from the paintings goes to food supplies, sanctuary staff salaries, veterinary bills, and other costs for the facility.