Over the years, Rocco Ritchie – the son of Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie – has led a life largely out of the public eye. But he grabbed headlines this weekend when he was spotted with his celebrity mother outside Harry’s Bar in London.

The 21-year-old, born on Aug. 11, 2000 in Los Angeles, CA, has had a tumultuous relationship with his mother, living in the spotlight and touring the world, but the two have seemingly reconciled and are now on good terms.

Though Rocco Ritchie lived in London with his father growing up, the family was all smiles over New Year’s when they went on a ski vacation in Switzerland. The “Material Girl” singer and Rocco were photographed walking arm-in-arm around the vacation spot, with many fans commenting that he was a spitting image of his father.

Rocco Ritchie, outed as the artist Rhed, riding his bicycle around London in January 2022
Rocco Ritchie, outed as the artist Rhed, riding his bicycle around London in January 2022. Photo Credit: BACKGRID

Though Rocco prefers to live a private life away from the cameras, he has many famous friends, including Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews’ daughter, Anais Gallagher, and David Beckham’s son, Brooklyn Beckham.

Once locked in a custody battle between his parents, Rocco now lives in London. It was recently revealed that he studied at Central Saint Martins in the UK and got a degree in fine arts. He then embedded himself into the London arts scene under the pseudonym “Rhed.”

Unbeknownst to most of the world, Rocco Ritchie was selling his paintings under the name of “Rhed” since 2018 at the Chelsea’s Tanya Baxter Contemporary, with Tatler reporting some works selling for over five figures.

“Rocco takes his art really seriously,” a source close to the artist told The Sun. “He had a wayward few years, but now he’s dedicated to this new course and feels he really fits in.”

“Both his parents are pleased he is doing something creative with his time and following his passion,” the source continued. “He is inspired by graffiti artist Banksy and sees himself as a key player in the London art scene in a few years’ time.”

Many other famous celebrities attended Central Saint Martins in London, including Alexander McQueen, former Dior Creative Director John Galliano, and Paul McCartney’s daughter Stella McCartney.

Posting on

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna)

” target=”_blank” data-type=”URL” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>her Instagram page last month, Madonna stood in front of some of Rocco’s nude paintings, revealing to the world that he was “Rhed.”

“Today isn’t Monday… It’s Son Day!!! David at his curtain call and art by Rhed!” she wrote, accidentally outing her son Rocco Ritchie as “Rhed.”

Before attending his show, she spent a busy day with her other son, 16-year-old David Banda. David was adopted by Madonna and Guy Ritchie after a trip to Malawi in East Africa. Madonna and Ritchie broke up after eight years marriage in 2008.

Rocco Ritchie, seen on August 25, 2016 in New York City, was reportedly arrested for possession of marijuana in London when he was 16 years old
Rocco Ritchie, seen on August 25, 2016 in New York City, was reportedly arrested for possession of marijuana in London when he was 16 years old. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Responding to the outing, the Tanya Baxter Contemporary Gallery stated that, “We continue to respect the artist’s prerogative to remain anonymous.”

“Much the same way Banksy chooses to keep his identity unknown,” Baxter told Artnet, “Rhed will remain incognito.”

Rocco’s art has been compared to artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Egon Schiele, with Baxter describing him as “a young emerging artist whose cultural background is diverse and unconventional.”

According to Tatler, a private dinner was recently held to celebrate his work during Art Basel 2021 in Miami. Many of his pieces are currently on show at Artsy, though reportedly sold for unknown amounts.

“Society conflicts such as the obsession with social media, fixation of celebrities & labels and generational problems such as drug abuse and depression are subjects that he approaches in a coded fashion,” his biography reads on Artsy.

Rocco Ritchie has yet to comment on his pseudonym becoming public.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR