By Stephen Michalowicz

Photo by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.

On Tuesday, Torontoist was invited to the Harbour Gallery in Mississauga for the Canadian premiere of Sir Anthony Hopkins’s original art exhibit. Everything at the show was swanky, from the gentle music to the hors d’oeuvres to the wealthy socialites. The only thing missing was the man himself. (Jenna Bryant, the gallery’s associate director, hinted that he might make an appearance in the fall or late summer, schedule permitting.)
So what exactly does Anthony Hopkins paint? Liver, fava beans, and a nice chianti? Slaves yearning to be free? Bad historical epics? Hopkins, just like Pablo Picasso—whom he played in Surviving Picasso—is a surrealist. Most of his paintings are of fictional landscapes and abstract portraits. “I always doodled during filming, in my trailer and on scripts,” explained Hopkins in an interview with ARTInvestor magazine. “I was not very confident of my talent, but the positive reactions, and especially my wife Stella’s encouragement, finally got me to start painting.” In Hopkins’s first exhibit in San Antonio, Texas, in 2005, more than a hundred of his paintings sold in less than a week.
We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Hopkins is actually fairly talented, and although we wouldn’t, and probably couldn’t, buy any of his paintings (the most expensive canvas was $31,500), they felt right at home in the gallery. The high prices weren’t an issue for Hopkins’s wealthy fans; of the eighteen works on display, twelve were purchased before the show even began. “It’s great,” said Bryant. “He’s so talented on so many levels…I think it’s a testament to his work.” If you love Hopkins, or are curious about his artwork, the public exhibition continues until June 10.