The Bull Terrier Named Jimmy Choo Inspires His Witty Illustrations
Artist, São Paulo, Brazil
Rafael Mantesso’s wife left him on his thirtieth birthdays and left nothing behind except an empty, all-white apartment and a bull terrier, which she named after her favourite shoe designer, Jimmy Choo. That did not make him a loser. That was exactly at that time that his creativity started to burst again and he started drawing humourous and witty illustrations around photos of Jimmy. They came to fame on Instagram with over 400k followers in 2015. That even caught the eye of Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s creative director, who commissioned Mantesso to create a series of drawings for a limited-edition capsule collection of accessories that year. Moreover, Mantesso dedicated his illustration book “A Dog Named Jimmy: The Social Media Sensation” to Jimmy Choo, the bull terrier, who he said had taught him “unconditional love”, which we can totally feel from their kissing picture.
My signature outfit is…
My signature outfit is… Jeans and black tee.
The best style advice I was ever given… Stay comfort, be yourself.
I would never wear… Woman underwear.
Number of unanswered mails in your account today… 34.677 unread.
My favourite travel device is… my cellphone.
On a plane I normally spend my time… sleeping under medicines.
Top 3 songs on my headphone… Pearl Jam – Betterman, Rise Against – Satellite, The Illumineers – Ophelia.
In the gym I…I never go.
What’s on for dinner…barbecue.
My necessary extravagance is…buy art.
Rafael Mantesso’s wife left him on his thirtieth birthdays and left nothing behind except an empty, all-white apartment and a bull terrier, which she named after her favourite shoe designer, Jimmy Choo.
If I could host a party for anyone it would be…Steve Jobs.
In the art world currently I find most exciting…I’ve met Sebastiao Salgado.
My daily art read is…my feed reader.
In my bedroom I have artworks by…nobody, my bedroom is the only place in my home without art.
The most arty city is…New York.
My favourite art-world ladies are… Marina Abramovic, Annie Leibovitz, Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois.
Instagram: @rafaelmantesso
Images from Rafael Mantesso
