Meet the two-year-old boy whose little splash of color is a real art

Two-year-old Laurent moves his brush across the canvas with a flourish.

It may seem rather random at first but the little boy from Neubeuern in Bavaria always ends up naming exactly what he has painted: an elephant, a cow or even a seahorse.

Using acrylic paints, the little boy paints colorful, abstract pictures that have caused a stir on the art market. Interested parties from all over the world have made bids, ranging from 10,000 to six figures - "we actually have a current bid of 270,000 euros ($295,000)," mum Lisa says.

"I think the whole thing is very exciting, of course, what's happening right now," dad Philipp admits. "Of course, I can't say (he is) 'talent of the century'. As a parent, you're always a bit biased.

"For me, Laurent is Laurent, who paints because he has fun. I think what comes out of it is great. Apparently other people think it's great too."

Laurent started painting in autumn 2023 - the family's holiday hotel in Italy had a painting room from which, according to his mother, the little boy could hardly leave.

Since then, he has been hard to keep away from the canvas. The two-year-old paints about one picture a week. At the end, he always explains and examines his new work of art together with his mum.

An Instagram account and the laurents.art website showing the little painter's work has tens of thousands of followers, international media reports and numerous enquiries have been made.

"Yes, Laurent has an Instagram channel and to the date I can't tell you why I did this. I actually filmed it privately for myself because I just thought it was incredibly cute, a little toddler in front of a canvas like that and it's turned out to be such great paintings," says mum Lisa.

"I mean, every mum likes what her children do and is incredibly proud of it. And that was me too. But I personally noticed that this, this choice of colour, that it was simply something extraordinary. That it's not normal."

His paintings were already on display at Munich's largest art fair "art.muc" in April 2024. His first own exhibition is planned for September. Paint and wallpaper manufacturers would like to work with him.

But Laurent is one thing above all: a two-year-old boy who loves playing in the ball pit as much as he loves painting.

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