Ozzy Osbourne Goes From Heavy Metal to Painting With Chimps

Fresh from his retirement concert with Black Sabbath at the weekend, Ozzy Osbourne has announced a new project: a visual art collaboration with chimpanzees.

- Ben Beaumont-Thomas

Osbourne is a keen amateur painter. For his latest works he painted multicoloured base coats on to five canvases, with the chimpanzees then adding daubs of their own.

The finished abstract expressionist works are being sold at auction to raise money for Save the Chimps, a sanctuary in Florida for chimpanzees that have been rescued from animal testing labs, poorly run zoos and wildlife traffickers.

"I paint because it gives me peace of mind, but I don't sell my paintings," Osbourne said. "I've made an exception with these collaborations as it raises money for Save the Chimps."