10-YEAR-OLD SELLS HIS ART FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

He’s been called “Little Picasso” and it’s clear to see why Andres Valencia has made such a name in the world of art at his young age.

At a Phillips de Pury auction in Hong Kong, one of his artworks sold for $159,000 while another one went for $230,000 in Capri, Italy where it was auctioned off for a charity gala.

Valencia had a solo exhibition in June at the Chase Contemporary gallery in SoHo, New York. All 35 of his works were sold for between $50,000 and $125,000 each.

The young art phenomenon produces surrealist-style paintings favoured by deep-pocketed collectors around the world.

Asked what he thought about the art world singing his praises and buying his art, he merely said “I’m glad I can make people happy with my art and they can hang it in their homes”.

CNN reports that Valencia’s art career began at the tender age of 4, when his parents noticed that he spent hours in their San Diego dining room, sketching a painting by the graffiti artist Retna, one of his father’s former clients.

While many believe Valencia’s fame and fortune won’t last that long and that this might just be a phase, he truly believes that kids’ artwork shouldn’t be underestimated.

“If you see a kid doing sketches on paper with a market, a lot of people think that those drawings should not be put in a gallery. Sometimes older people just don’t get it.”

Image credit: ABC7 New York