Artist’s ‘Priceless’ Portrait Of Lenny Kravitz Destroyed After Taking It To Michaels To Be Framed

A Lenny Kravitz fan took a signed painting of the artist to a local craft store, only to get a call from the store telling him the painting was missing. Artist Matt Diggs painted the Kravitz portrait and had it signed by the singer at a concert. According to local station WAVY in Virginia, a few days after dropping the portrait off for framing, it was found damaged beyond repair at a recycling plant.

Matt Diggs is an artist based in Portsmouth, Virginia, who considers himself a fan of Lenny Kravitz. In September, the artist got the opportunity to see Kravitz in concert in Washington D.C. and to show the painting to the singer in hopes of getting the piece signed. After the show, Diggs met Kravitz, who signed the art piece.

“Lenny Kravitz is like my hero, you know, like a rock star, does all different types of styles of music,” said Diggs. “And we were in the front row, standing room only, general admission, so we got there super early, got in the front. We hang the painting over the rail and he looked at it, he saw it and it was really cool, a really cool moment and at the end of the concert he ended up signing it.”

Diggs then took the painting to Michaels in Suffolk, Virginia, to have it framed. But last Saturday, he got a phone call from management telling him that the painting had disappeared.

“She says ‘hey, I got some really bad news, I hate that I have to be the one to tell you this, but we cannot find the painting. We have no idea where it is,'” Diggs said.

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Diggs contacted the police and the Michael’s corporate offices to report the painting, which the artist considers “priceless,” as missing. Both entities wanted to know the value of the portrait. Diggs replied that he couldn’t accept less than $20,000.

On Tuesday, Michael’s contacted Diggs to tell him that the painting had been located. Unfortunately, it was found damaged beyond repair at a local recycling plant, with a large chunk taken out of the bottom corner. Diggs is suspicious of the events, and is pursuing the matter with the police. Michael’s hasn’t yet responded to requests for comment.

Matt Diggs created Urbandiggs, which “highlights historical and modern day events through aspects of street art and elements of hip hop culture.” Diggs uses spray paint and acrylics to create his art.