He’s in his terribly talented twos.
A diminutive da Vinci from Germany is selling his paintings for up to $7,000 — and they’re flying off the shelves.
Young Laurent Schwarz’s appreciation for art was first noticed on a family vacation last fall, when his family found it difficult to wrest him away from the activities room at the resort where they were staying.
After returning home, parents Lisa and Philipp Schwarz set the pint-sized Picasso up with a studio and watched in amazement as the toddler covered himself and the canvas with his colorful creations.
“They’re abstracts and what’s unusual is how he integrates discernible figures into them, which people often mention to us and which makes them so popular,” the proud mama told The Times of London.
“You can clearly recognize his animals, like elephants which are one of his favorite animals, as well as dinosaurs and horses. It’s very important to him that it’s bright and colorful. Brown and other boring colors don’t interest him. He has a very clear ideas about the colors he mixes,” she explained.
In awe of her son’s talent, Lisa created an Instagram account to share his work and was overwhelmed by the attention it attracted.
The account @laurents.art has over 29,000 followers as of Wednesday.
“I thought I’d set up a channel because what he was painting looked so nice,” she said. “And that triggered a real hype.”
The kind comments and appreciation for Laurent’s work that came through social media then prompted Lisa to begin selling his work online.
The talented toddler’s work has since been displayed at Munich’s biggest art fair, ART MUC, held in April, and have been sold to buyers all around the world.
New York could be the mini Monet’s next stop — a gallery in New York City is in talks to exhibit some of his pieces.
Art aficionados will have to act fast, however — nearly all of Laurent’s existing creations have been sold, with the price tag of some reaching nearly $7,000.
But while the toddler is rolling in both paint and cash, the money is all sitting in a bank account that he won’t have access to until he turns 18.
Lisa noted that while she encourages her son’s talents and passion, she doesn’t push them.
“It’s totally up to him when and what he paints,” she said. “Sometimes he doesn’t feel like painting and doesn’t set foot in his studio for three or four weeks but then suddenly it grabs him and he says, ‘Mama, painting.’”
instagram/laurents.art/
And beyond Laurent’s painting skills, his parents have also been astonished by how aware he is of his work.
His mother explained that the toddler pointed out two of his paintings from among thousands on display at the Munich art fair last month.
“He went straight up to them and said ‘Laurent painted,” she recounted.
But while Laurent’s talents are amazing, he isn’t the only tyke on the art scene.
A toddler from Ghana recently became the world’s youngest artist, according to Guinness World Records.
Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah, who was 1 year and 152 days old when he received the title, began painting when he was 6 months old.
The young child quickly built a portfolio as he continued to create new, colorful creations — but they didn’t just fill up his mom’s fridge.
His work was exhibited at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ghana’s capital, Accra, from last December to early January.
Nine of the 10 show pieces sold — and Ghana’s first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who attended the exhibit, even commissioned work from him.
“Every child is unique, and nurturing their passions can lead to amazing discoveries and achievements,” the child’s mother told Guinness.
