RIP: Pigcasso, SA’s most talented pig, dies

A pig whose lifetime of paintings fetched $1 million after she was saved from the slaughterhouse in South Africa, has died. 

She was eight.

Owner Joanne Lefson announced the passing of her beloved Pigcasso who had been suffering from chronic Rheumatoid arthritis.

In her lifetime, Pigcasso sold her artwork worldwide to celebrities such as Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal and animal expert Dr Jane Goodall.

Lefson rescued her in May 2016 from a factory farm in South Africa just weeks before she would have been sent to the slaughterhouse.

According to the Daily Mail, Pigcasso was taken to Farm Sanctuary SA, a non-profit foundation that provides a safe sanctuary setting for rescued farm animals in Franschhoek.

PIGCASSO SET A WORLD RECORD

In 2021, Pigcasso made international headlines when she sold “WILD AND FREE” to a German buyer for £20 000 which was an official world record for the highest-selling artwork ever painted by an animal.

She hosted exhibitions across the globe, including in the Netherlands, Germany, France, China and the United Kingdom.

While Pigcasso had already shown symptoms of arthritis over the past few years, her physical condition rapidly deteriorated in September 2023.

‘By early October, both of her back legs had become lame due to the calcification of her lower spine aggravated by the arthritis,’ Lefson confirmed.

We send our condolences to all concerned.

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