Adrien Brody’s $425,000 art piece depicting Donald Duck, Marilyn Monroe and rats debuts to divided reviews
Adrien Brody, known for his Academy Award-winning role in The Pianist, is back in the headlines for his art. The 51-year-old is currently showcasing a solo mixed-media exhibition titled Made in America at Eden Gallery in New York City. The show at the Eden Gallery in New York City has been running since May 28, 2025, and will continue until June 28, 2025.
It features works depicting Donald Duck, Marilyn Monroe, and rodents. Reviews are split, and one of Brody’s pieces featuring Marilyn Monroe has already sold for $425,000 according to a US Weekly article from June 7, 2025
The collection is his first major public display following his 2025 Oscar win for The Brutalist. In interviews, Brody described this moment as a deliberate shift toward visual art while taking a break from film work. Speaking to the New York Times, he called himself "an unemployed actor at the moment."
“I’m an unemployed actor at the moment. It’s kind of this time to let it go,” he added.
More about Adrien Brody's art
Adrien Brody's Made in America blends collage, painting, and sculpture. Subjects include Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s signature crown, and Marilyn Monroe. His art piece portraying Monroe was sold for $425,000 at the 2025 amfAR Cannes Gala. It features a cut-out of Monroe pasted over a collaged backdrop.
Rats and mice are also a recurring motif throughout the show, as they seemingly symbolize both survival and neglect for the Oscar winner, who was raised in Queens.
“I always felt for the rats and the mice that I would see in the subways on the way to school. How everybody would be disgusted,” he told Cultured magazine.
Guy Klimovsky, CEO of Eden Gallery, spoke to US Weekly about how Brody’s use of symbolism connects directly to American cultural history. According to his New York Times profile, he said that they "have a story connection to the story of the US," and to the "icon" of the country.
Klimovsky also defended the actor’s seriousness, saying that people would "come back because it's him," but he noted that they "will forget."
Reviews of Adrien Brody's art exhibition
Despite high-profile buyers and a prime Manhattan venue, Adrien Brody’s exhibition has received a wave of divided responses from critics. While The New York Times called the actor an “impassioned painter,” other publications have had differing opinions.
According to US Weekly, in a scathing review, artnet dismissed the work as derivative and suggested Adrien Brody’s fame was the primary draw.
“With its faux naïve aesthetic and its mediocre production value, Brody’s works beg the question: Why are we still talking about them?”
Artnet's critique also talked about a larger pattern of celebrities entering the art world. It mentioned personalities like Hunter Biden, Jim Carrey, Lucy Liu, and George W. Bush.
“The simple answer is that it tends to be considered newsworthy when a celebrity reveals their art. Fame tends to afford a certain aura to the people who receive it, and fans will always follow,” the review read.
Annie Armstrong wrote about the exhibition in her Wet Paint, expressing that she was less than impressed with it. However, she did credit Adrien Brody with at least engaging with pop-art conventions.
“I’ve spent enough brain cells trying to dissect this. So much red-chip art relies on celebrity iconography, so it’s intriguing to see a papier-mâché cut-out of Brody himself plastered to a canvas with an outsized Basquiat crown painted over his head. He understands the canon,” she wrote.
The sale of Adrien Brody’s Marilyn Monroe painting at Cannes for $425,000 has added another layer to the conversation. The price tag, especially for a relatively unknown visual artist, raised questions about the valuation of celebrity art.
While Klimovsky argues that Adrien Brody’s pieces stand on their own, many observers remain skeptical, with many associating fame with the value of the art.
The art will continue to be displayed at the Eden Gallery in New York City until June 28, 2025.
