Nope, the Pope did not sign a drawing I sent to him in 2015.  I thought it best to mention that up-front. Despite my lack of success I’ve been thinking of posting my pontiff piece anyway. A quick sweep of the internet indicated that Pope Francis has signed on a few occasions, so it was not an activity he avoided. There have been seven popes so far in my lifetime, dating back to Pope Pius XII. I don’t usually include popes or politicians on my collection list, but somehow Francis appealed to me.

With subdued optimism I did this quick sketch and mailed it to Vatican. Obviously, I wasn’t alone in this elevated, exulted pursuit.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was created a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001 after serving as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and was cardinal priest of San Roberto Bellarmino in Rome until he was elected as the pope on 13 March 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. He has always been known for his humility and his concern for the poor and his commitment to social justice and building bridges between people of all backgrounds, beliefs and faiths. While Bishop he had a simple lifestyle, living in a small apartment rather than the elegant bishop’s residence, cooking his own meals and taking public transport. He chose the name Francis to honour St. Francis of Assisi.

I noticed he did sign a young boy’s cast as he left a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis in time to preside over the Palm Sunday and Easter Masses in St Peter’s Square earlier this year. I now know what to do to achieve my goal.

I had this sketch of Australian auteur Baz Luhrmann in my ‘current’ folder for a few years, hoping for the chance that he may pop up at a premiere or press night… or my local Sainsbury’s. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the London premiere of his latest box office hit, ELVIS, but I did have the opportunity to catch him at the BFI in January this year. He was doing an ‘In Conversation’ piece. I missed him going in and he was rushed out afterwards, running late for another engagement, apologising, but couldn’t stop to sign. However, I discovered the main reason for him being in London was to attend the press night at the Piccadilly Theatre for the Musical MOULIN ROUGE!, based on his revolutionary 2001 film. I was determined to catch him there and through good fortune and a very kind security person, did so. We had a brief chat and he was more than happy to sign my drawing for me. Mission accomplished… out of current working folder, processed, filed and onto this post. 

Originally bursting on to the scene with the Red Curtain Trilogy: STRICTLY BALLROOM (1992), William Shakespeare’s ROMEO+JULIET (1996) and MOULIN ROUGE! (2001),  Baz is, to quote the BFI’s event blurb, “a master storyteller and pioneer of pop culture working across film,opera, theatre, events and music. His signature blend of fantasy, romance and decadence fuses high and low culture, a unique sonic and cinematic language and trademark theatrical aesthetic that continuously captivates audiences and ignites imaginations around. His most recent film, ELVIS, an exhilarating, whirlwind biopic of the legendary King of Rock and Roll, landed as the second-highest grossing musical biopic of all time, globally and his highest grossing film of all time in the UK.”

Baz’s six feature films have collected 66 award nominations, resulting in 39 wins, with more to follow as ELVIS gains momentum and nominations heading into the crunch end of the Awards season.

MOULIN ROUGE! was nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award in 2002. He has received seven BAFTA noms, winning two-Direction and Adapted Screenplay for ROMEO+JULIET. He has  four Grammy nominations and won the Best Musical Tony award in 2020 for MOULIN ROUGE!

His original christian names, Mark Anthony were changed by deed poll to ‘Bazmark’ joining his nickname ‘Baz’ and his birth monikers; so called because his hairstyle resembled the puppet Basil Brush. Baz has certainly made a name for himself since.