Johnny Depp's debut art sale draws in $3.7 million within hours

The limited-edition collection includes portraits of Elizabeth Taylor and Al Pacino

Depp has sold hundreds of pieces just weeks after his defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. AP

Johnny Depp's collection of limited-edition prints have sold for a total of £3 million ($3.7m).

After taking to Instagram to announce his debut art sale, the website of UK gallery Castle Fine Art crashed. Titled Friends and Heroes, the collection includes four prints of A-listers including the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Dylan and Al Pacino.

Each piece was available to purchase separately or as a collection.

Within hours, Depp sold 780 pieces. Framed individual images were sold for £3,950 ($4,812) while the complete portfolio of four pieces sold for £14,950 ($18,212).

The Friends and Heroes collection was created by Depp as a homage to the Hollywood and rock icons he knows or those who have inspired him.

The actor, 59, has been known to carry a sketch book on the set of his films. Until now, however, he has been reluctant to show his work publicly.

“I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire,” Depp told Castle Fine Art of his work. “My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”

Influenced by pop and street art, the portraits of the stars have been stripped back and slightly stylised, almost like comic strips similar to Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints or with the bold use of colour in Roy Lichtenstein’s paintings. However, the portraits also include energetic, free hand brush strokes and intimate detailed marks by Depp that gives each piece a dynamism and energy.

Depp has also dabbled in creating NFTs and is expected to exhibit more of his work publicly through Castle Fine Art galleries.

Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe portrait that sold for a record $195m — in pictures

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  A woman takes a photo of Andy Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview at Christie's New York in New York City. AFP

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  Staffers work the phones for bids on 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' by Andy Warhol during an Evening Sale of works from The Collection of Thomas and Doris Amman at Christie's Auction House in New York. EPA

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  The 1964 painting 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' by Andy Warhol is carried in Christie's showroom in New York City, New York. AP

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  It sold for $195 million, the most expensive 20th-century artwork to sell at public auction. AP

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  Christie's auctioneer begins the auction of 'GE/Skull' by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat during an Evening Sale of works from The Collection of Thomas and Doris Amman at Christie's Auction House in New York. EPA

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  A woman takes a photo of Andy Warhol's 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' during Christie's 20th and 21st Century Art press preview at Christie's New York, New York. AFP

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  Media were given a sneak-peek as to what will go on the auction block. Reuters

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  Pop artist Andy Warhol all smiles in New York, New York in 1976. AP

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  Alex Rotter Christie's Chairman, 20th and 21st Century Art, introduces the 1964 painting 'Shot Sage Blue Marilyn' by Andy Warhol, to the media. EPA

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  Andy Warhol's 'Reigning Queens', 1985.