“MESSI” portrait by Fabian Perez (2011)

In 2011, Fabian Perez created this portrait of MESSI who gave Fabian a beloved photograph used at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa for the artwork.The Barcelona No10 is a keen art collector himself and rates compatriot Fabian Perez as one of his favourite artists. The feeling is more than mutual. While one of the painter’s most prized possessions is a signed match-worn shirt dedicated to his children by Messi, Perez’s portrait of Messi sits in the football star’s private collection. Fabian and Messi are close friends!

His portrait of Argentine footballer Lionel Messi was complimented in official FIFA sources, and is included in the FIFA News online art banner From the Pitch to the Canvas.^[23][24]

“Living Legends” is the title of a series of portraits of famous performers, actors, sportsmen, politicians and heads of state, including the MESSI piece. Each of the “Living Legends” series, a limited edition series of 195 pieces, was created with Fabian’s collaboration and approval as a pigmented artist’s canvas giclee in Los Angeles, at the Kolibri Art Studio, Inc. atelier.