Meet Pigcasso!

    One of the world’s most famous young artists lives on a farm in South Africa. Her paintings sell for thousands of dollars. She spends her days painting and eating. When she’s done, she likes to relax—in a mud bath.

    Meet Pigcasso, the painting pig. 

    As a piglet, Pigcasso had a grim future. She was raised on a big farm to be killed for meat. An animal rights activist named Joanne Lefson rescued her in 2016. Lefson runs Farm Sanctuary South Africa, a home for rescued farm animals.

    Lefson needed to keep her new piglet busy. She threw some balls and a couple of paintbrushes into the pen. Pigcasso ate everything except the brushes. 

    So Lefson taught her to paint. She got special brushes that Pigcasso could hold in her teeth. Then Lefson dipped them in paint. 

    When Pigcasso chose to paint, Lefson rewarded her with strawberry treats. Before long, Pigcasso had earned her name. It comes from the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

    One of the world’s most famous young artists lives on a farm in South Africa. Her paintings sell for thousands of dollars. She spends her days painting and eating. When she’s done, she likes to relax—in a mud bath.

    Meet Pigcasso, the painting pig.

    As a piglet, Pigcasso had a grim future. She was raised to be killed for meat. In 2016, Joanne Lefson rescued her. Lefson runs Farm Sanctuary South Africa. It’s a home for rescued farm animals.

    Lefson had to keep her new piglet busy. She threw some balls and paintbrushes into the pen. The pig ate everything but the brushes.

    So Lefson taught her to paint. She got special brushes that Pigcasso could hold in her teeth. Then Lefson dipped them in paint.

    When Pigcasso chose to paint, Lefson rewarded her with treats. Pigcasso soon earned her name. It comes from the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

    One of the world’s most famous young artists lives on a farm in South Africa. Her paintings sell for thousands of dollars. She spends her days painting and eating. When she’s done, she likes to relax—in a mud bath.

    Meet Pigcasso, the painting pig.

    As a piglet, Pigcasso lived on a large farm where animals were raised to be butchered. An animal rights activist named Joanne Lefson rescued her in 2016. Lefson runs Farm Sanctuary South Africa, a home for rescued farm animals.

    To keep her new piglet occupied, Lefson tossed some balls and a couple of paintbrushes into the pen. Pigcasso ate everything except the brushes.

    So Lefson taught the piglet to paint. She got special brushes that Pigcasso could hold in her teeth, and she dipped the brushes in paint.

    When Pigcasso chose to paint, Lefson rewarded her with strawberry treats. Pigcasso quickly earned her name, which comes from the famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.

    In 2017, a lawyer from New York visited the farm. He bought a painting for about $500. And Pigcasso’s fame spread quickly after that. In two years, she has sold almost $200,000 worth of paintings. Last year, she had an art show in South Africa. It was the first show ever by a nonhuman artist.

    All the attention hasn’t changed Pigcasso.  “All she wants to do is eat, sleep, and paint,” says Lefson. She hopes Pigcasso can teach humans a few things. Experts say pigs are smart creatures. They have good memories, and they recognize how other pigs are feeling.

    Lefson hopes Pigcasso can make people think a little differently about the animals they eat. She wants them to realize that, “there’s more to pigs than bacon.” 

    In 2017, a lawyer from New York visited the farm. He bought a painting for about $500. After that, Pigcasso’s fame grew. In two years, she has sold almost $200,000 worth of art. Last year, she had an art show. It was the first show ever by a nonhuman artist.

    Fame hasn’t changed Pigcasso. “All she wants to do is eat, sleep, and paint,” says Lefson. She hopes Pigcasso can teach humans a few things. Experts say pigs are smart. They have good memories. And they can tell how other pigs are feeling.

    Lefson hopes Pigcasso can change how people think about the animals they eat. “There’s more to pigs than bacon,” she says.

    In 2017, a lawyer from New York visited the farm and purchased one of Pigcasso’s paintings for about $500. After that, Pigcasso’s fame spread rapidly. In two years, she has sold almost $200,000 worth of paintings. Last year, she had an art exhibition in South Africa—the first exhibition ever by a nonhuman artist.

    All the attention hasn’t changed Pigcasso. “All she wants to do is eat, sleep, and paint,” says Lefson. She hopes Pigcasso can help broaden the public’s understanding of pigs. According to experts, pigs are intelligent creatures with good memories and the ability to recognize how other pigs are feeling.

    Lefson hopes Pigcasso can make people think a little differently about the animals they eat. She wants them to realize that “there’s more to pigs than bacon.”