Art

Joe Lycett draws portrait of 2020 exclusively for The Big Issue

Joe Lycett was a beloved comedian before 2020. But this year he's revealed a whole new talent as a visual artist. He has drawn a portrait of the year especially for us

Joe Lycett draws 2020

Joe Lycett draws 2020 for The Big issue

Comedian Joe Lycett has long dabbled in art, but taking part in Grayson Perry’s Art Club brought his inimitable style to the masses.

His portraits have a habit of capturing the crazy times in which we live and offering a bit of light relief in the face of a difficult year.

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As 2020 comes to a close, Lycett has used this newly uncovered talent to create a masterpiece exclusively for The Big Issue. It’s a portrait that sums up the year.

And he decided to focus on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

Here is the painting, in all its glory.

Jeff Bezos by Joe Lycett
24_Lycett_Portrait_1442-830x1024
Jeff Bezos by Joe Lycett

Lycett told us: “This painting is my artistic summary of 2020. I get it. It’s been tough for some of you.

“You’ve not stopped going on about it. You’ve whined on and on about how awful it’s been. Well I’m sick of it. Have any of you ungrateful little urchins considered the good things that have happened?

“Have any of you congratulated old Jeff? Jeff’s had a great one. Cheer up.”

Back in April, Lycett’s painting of health advisor Chris Whitty, painted for Grayson Perry and featuring the slogan ‘wash your filthy pig hands’, captured the public imagination.

“One thing I was really drawn to about Chris [Whitty] was his eyes,” Joe said when introducing the painting. “He’s got extraordinary eyes.”

Perry had praise for the picture, saying, “I think you’ve captured Chris Whitty pretty well.”

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