Tim Patch, commonly known by his professional stage name Pricasso, is an Australian artist who is known for using his genitals to paint portraits, landscapes and female nudes.
Background
Patch was born in the United Kingdom. He attended Oakwood Preparatory School in Chichester and then went on to attend Bembridge School on the Isle of Wight. After Bembridge, Patch went on to study at the Portsmouth College of Art and the Royal West of England Academy. Unable to earn a degree in fine arts he attended furniture design courses and became a builder.
In 1977 he migrated from the United Kingdom to Australia and from 1978 to 1982 he exhibited woodcarvings and other artworks in art galleries. In 1984 Patch established Hellfire Pottery with his sister, which produced various pottery and ceramic works. In 2002, Patch began work on building a Gaudí-style house and art gallery, and during this same period he began working as a portrait and caricature artist in markets in Queensland.
Patch states that he conceived of the idea of painting with his penis in 2005. Inspired after watching Puppetry of the Penis, he drew a smiley face in the back of a urinal with his penis and then decided to attempt it at home using paint. After telling a friend of his work, she had him paint at a 2005 New Year's Eve party on a dare. In 2006, Patch chose the name of "Pricasso" – a portmanteau of "prick" (a slang term for penis) and "Picasso".
Works and appearances
In an interview with Voima, Pricasso said that portrait work is the most challenging type of painting, so he set himself a goal of painting an accurate-looking portrait within 20 minutes. Due to normal paint containing lime, which erodes the skin, Pricasso makes his own water-based paints. Before he begins painting he also covers his penis and buttocks in Vaseline in order to work for several hours without causing irritation to his skin.
While art galleries showed little interest in his paintings, Pricasso became a regular attraction at Sexpo exhibitions around the world, where he paints portraits for attendees.
Pricasso's appearance at the 2010 Expo Sexo y Entretenimiento México was cancelled after censors from the Mexico City authorities attended the exposition to verify the shows. He made his North American debut at the 2011 Miami Xposed Expo, and signed an agreement to appear exclusively at future Xposed Expo events.
In 2008, Pricasso entered a nude self-portrait into the Archibald Prize. His submission came after an unsuccessful entry in the 2007 competition using a portrait of plastic surgeon Joseph Georghy.
Pricasso told Fala Fil that, while celebrities tend to be wary of having him paint their portrait, he has painted at private parties for famous individuals after agreeing to not publicise the event. Charlie Murphy was one celebrity who Pricasso noted as approving. Amongst the celebrities he said he painted portraits of are Hugh Hefner, John Howard, Kim Beazley, George W. Bush, Robert Mugabe, Barack Obama, Jacob Zuma, Queen Elizabeth II, Kevin Rudd, Tony Blair, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In the latter half of 2010, Pricasso appeared on the 4th season of German TV talent show Das Supertalent. After painting a female portrait on the stage, Sylvie van der Vaart voted down the performance, but he progressed to the next round due to the support of the two male judges on the panelDieter Bohlen and Bruce Darnell. In November 2011, Pricasso appeared on Tosh.0, where Daniel Tosh interviewed and commissioned a picture of himself painted by the artist.
Response to technique
Nicholas Chare, in an article titled "Sexing the Canvas", has linked Pricasso's work with statements by classic modern painters who referred to the activity of painting as a "seminal" or "spermatic" activity with sexual connotations.