Pockets Warhol (born 1992) is a

capuchin monkey The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "Street organ, organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some t ...

, and one of 24 residents (as of 2023-08-03) at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary near

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Pockets came to media attention in 2011 when the sanctuary held a fundraiser featuring 40 paintings by the monkey.

Early life

According to the sanctuary, Pockets was born on April 1, 1992, and lived his early life as a pet in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. In 2009, Pockets' owner was finding herself challenged to look after him, and searched for a place that could take him. On finding Story Book Farm, she flew herself and Pockets to Ontario, and stayed with Pockets for a week to get him comfortable in his new home. The former owner still keeps in touch with the sanctuary.

Start as an artist

Shortly after Pockets arrived at the sanctuary, one of the volunteers, Charmaine Quinn, gave Pockets his surname of Warhol because his white hair reminded her of

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

. This also prompted Quinn to give Pockets some children's paints to keep him busy. In December 2011, having accumulated 40 of Pockets' paintings, the sanctuary arranged an exhibition of the paintings at a Toronto diner, helping to raise funds for the sanctuary. The event was covered in the ''Toronto Star'', which in turn triggered international media coverage in/on: CBC, Global News, the Huffington Post (USA), ''Maclean's'' magazine, and ''Vv Magazine''. A few months later, Pockets paintings were made available for sale online.

Art collaboration

In September 2013, Brent Roe and Scott Cameron (aka Scotch Camera) joined an art show with Pockets Warhol at the Gladstone hotel in Toronto. In September 2014, ''MacLeans'' listed Pockets as the #8 top selling art animal in the world, based on the top price fetched for a single item. According to Quinn, Pockets' work has been featured in art shows as far away as Estonia, Finland, and Italy, and purchased online from as far away as Tasmania. In May 2016, Anita Kunz visited Pockets at the sanctuary, and subsequently donated one of her own paintings for Pockets to 'enhance'. Ms. Kunz later organized an art show with 80 other artists as a new fundraiser for the sanctuary, held at The Papermill Gallery,

Todmorden Mills Todmorden Mills was a small settlement located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. It started out as a lumber mill in the 1790s. Originally known as "Don Mills", it grew into a small industrial complex and village before becoming part o ...

from April 6–16, 2017. Other participants in this collaboration included: Barry Blitt, Marc Burckhardt, Cynthia von Buhler,

Seymour Chwast Seymour Chwast (born August 18, 1931) is an American graphic designer, illustrator, and type designer. Biography Chwast was born in the Bronx, New York City and in 1948 graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn where he was intr ...

, Sue Coe, Yuri Dojc,

Louis Fishauf Louis Fishauf (born 1949) is a Canadian award-winning graphic designer, art director and illustrator known for creating logos, magazines, websites, packaging and brand identities for such companies as Sympatico, Adbeast, Alias, Roots, Molson Brewe ...

Jill Greenberg Jill Greenberg (born July 10, 1967) is a Canadian-born American photographer and Pop artist. She is known for her portraits and fine art work that often features anthropomorphized animals that have been digitally manipulated with painterly effec ...

, Terry Mosher, Tim O'Brien,

Ralph Steadman Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator and collaborator with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman draws satirical political cartoons, social caricatures, and picture books. Early life Steadman was born in ...

Ann Telnaes Ann Carolyn Telnaes (born November 15, 1960) is an American editorial cartoonist. She creates cartoons in forms including animation, visual essays, live sketches, and traditional print. She worked for ''The Washington Post'' from 2008 until her ...

and Martin Wittfooth.

Celebrity interactions

In April 2012, sanctuary volunteers Charmaine Quinn and Izzy Hirji presented

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...

with a photo of Pockets and a painting by Pockets for her birthday at the

Jane Goodall Institute The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global non-profit wildlife and environment conservation organization headquartered in Washington, DC. It was founded in 1977 by English primatologist Jane Goodall and Genevieve di San Faustino (1919-2011). Th ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. In March 2015, the sanctuary sent a painting by Pockets to

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003) ...

and

Jane Fallon Jane Elizabeth Mary Fallon (born 9 December 1960) is an English author and television producer. Early life and education Born as the youngest of five children in Harrow, northwest London, Fallon's family moved to Buckinghamshire when she was ...

as a 'Thank you' for their support of animal rights. In June 2015, Ricky Gervais tweeted that he was donating an acoustic guitar to the sanctuary, with mention of Pockets Warhol. After his performance in Toronto in September 2015, Gervais donated the guitar he used there, which subsequently raised US$4,150 in an online auction. The winning bidder lives in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. As of February 15, 2019, the guitar was up for auction again having been signed by several other celebrities:

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. Ferrell received various accolades, including ...

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor. After taking minor roles in television, he established himself as a leading actor in both comedic and dramatic Bryan Cranston filmography, works on stage and screen. He has received ...

Dhani Harrison Dhani Harrison ( ; born 1 August 1978) is an English and American musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician ass ...

Ricky Warwick Ricky Warwick (born 11 July 1966) is a Northern Irish musician and the lead singer of the rock bands Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy. He is also the frontman for the Scottish hard rock band The Almighty, with whom he achieved chart success i ...

, Steve Cutts. This time the proceeds were split between Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary and Brian May's Save Me organization. In 2020,

Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English musician and songwriter. He is one of the founding members of the electronic music band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist and keyboardist, and occasiona ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

commissioned artwork by Pockets to be used as the cover art for his latest EP, '' The Third Chimpanzee'', see photos at right. Art by Pockets Warhol used for The Third Chimpanzee EP by Martin Gore

Art by Pockets Warhol used for The Third Chimpanzee EP by Martin Gore

The artwork is also featured in the accompanying music videos. Martin Gore discussed this collaboration in an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine on 2021-01-27. The EP was released by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...

on 2021-01-29. One track, Mandrill, was released early on 2020-11-17. A second track, Howler, was released 2021-01-07. Pockets painting art for Martin Gore 1

References

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External links