Hunter Biden Is Launching an Art Career

Bob Ross step aside: Hunter Biden, son of former Vice President and current 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden, is a painter now.

After a chaotic few years that included a divorce, the discovery of an illicit child, another marriage, and an inextricable connection to the Trump impeachment, the younger Biden opened up to the New York Times about his artistic pursuits, which he said are “literally keeping me sane.”

While painting isn’t actually new for Biden, he said he’s recently embraced the hobby with renewed vigor and, it seems, confidence. “For years I wouldn’t call myself an artist,” he told the Times. “Now I feel comfortable saying it.”

According to Biden, he’s been dabbling in art since childhood. Though he has no formal training as an artist, he told the Times art is “something I’ve taken seriously for a long time.”

However, the former lawyer, lobbyist and director of private equity firms may have a difficult time breaking into the professional art world. According to the Times, Biden “could have a challenge convincing the public that the word ‘artist’ belongs in his CV.”

Biden differs from most beginner artists in that he comes with built-in name recognition, which could either be a boon or a disadvantage, depending who you ask. Art collector Beth Rudin DeWoody believes the Biden name will at least generate intrigue in the new artist on the block, if nothing else. “There’s probably going to be a lot of curiosity,” she told the Times. “If he turns out to be a great artist,” of course.

Others in the art world, however, caution that Biden’s reputation could precede him in a negative way. “Too much baggage,” said Michael Kohn, owner of Los Angeles’ Kohn Gallery. “Depending on his skill level, the paintings could be quite good,” Kohn added. “However, it will be a long time before he will break into the art world as I and my colleagues know it.”

As far as Biden is concerned, his art is untouchable, regardless of its public reception. “The one thing I have left is my art,” he said. “It’s the one thing they can’t take away from me or conflate with anything else.”

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