Mozart wrote his first published songs aged 5, Stevie Wonder was playing professionally by 12, Picasso made his first oil painting at 9. But all three are late-bloomers in comparison to Germany’s Laurent Schwarz, an abstract painter selling work for thousands of dollars who was born in 2021.. yes, he’s just three years old.
In April, Laurent had work displayed at ART MUC, Munich’s largest art fair. A gallery in New York is apparently in talks with the toddler. He sells his work through his website, where inventory is almost entirely sold out, and he’s earning up to $7,000 per painting. There was even rumor over the summer that he had been offered $325,000 for one canvas.
The Bavarian toddler-artist is known for his abstract work, made using a variety of tools including just his hands, but animals often appear in an abstract made-by-a-three-year-old kind of way. “You can clearly recognize his animals, like elephants which are one of his favorite animals, as well as dinosaurs and horses,” his mother, Lisa, told The Times.
Laurent’s website says he’s “all about colors and energy”, his favorites being purple, red, blue, yellow, and pink. “It’s very important to him that it’s bright and colorful”, his mother said, “brown and other boring colors don’t interest him”. Try telling Rembrandt that brown is “boring.”
Schwarz hard at work in his studio in his parents’ house. Photo by MICHAELA STACHE/AFP via Getty Images.
Laurent’s artistic endeavors are shared on the Instagram page @laurents.art run, naturally, by Lisa. The account has wracked up nearly 100k followers for its videos of Laurent at work, standing in front of his canvases that are often taller than him.
The prodigy first fell in love with art while on a family vacation to Italy in 2023 when the resort the family were staying at had an art space for children. His parents set him up with his own studio space in their Neubeuern home after they returned.
Laurent’s website reads “EAT. SLEEP. PAINT. BE A CHILD. REPEAT” and Lisa certainly makes sure Laurent has time to “be a child”. Lisa described how “it’s totally up to him when and what he paints,” adding that he sometimes “doesn’t set foot in his studio for three or four weeks” before the urge to paint strikes him. Genius works in mysterious ways.
Laurent Schwarz, three years old, plays with his family in his play room in his parents’ house in Neubeuern near Rosenheim, southern Germany. Photo by Michaela Stache/AFP via Getty Images.
Another area of the site says “Others play with building blocks – I paint artworks. Do what you love! Ok, ok… to be honest, Duplo [Lego blocks] isn’t that bad 😉”. The site, written in first person—presumably by Lisa unless Laurent is also the world’s youngest web designer—describes how ‘when I’m painting, I follow my instincts, choosing colors and techniques that feel write in the moment’ in order to create “mesmerizing compositions.”
He’s even making a splash in the corporate world, having signed two brand deals to create both wallpaper and a range of paint colors. But, in a sad blow for Duplo’s profits, he won’t be able to spend his money just yet. His mum is keeping his earnings in a bank account that Laurent won’t be able to access until he’s 18.
In a not-so-shocking turn of events, it appears that Laurent’s father Philipp Schwarz is an artist, as is his grandfather. Is Laurent a literal nepo-baby? Those with expensive student debts to art schools can rest a little easier knowing that the 3 year-old, who has had a solo show way before we have, got there with the help of insider contacts.
It isn’t just Laurent Schwarz getting art world attention at a young age. Last year Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah from Ghana became the world’s youngest male artist aged 1 year 152 days. There’s also six-year-old Elaine Fan, who is making waves in the New York City area. Both toddlers have been praised as “mini Picassos” but, given what we know about Picasso, that feels an odd compliment for these kiddies.