A TEESSIDE arts centre has opened an art exhibit to celebrate a Labrador who became a viral sensation on TikTok.
Joey, a one-and-a-half-year-old fox-red Labrador from Eston, gained four million views on the social media site and has been followed by 45,000 people.
The young dog even has his own Instagram account where he has 5,000 followers.
Joey's owners, Michelle Jones and her daughter Catherine Jones, took joey to Eston Arts Centre in Middlesbrough this week, which aims to showcase the work that he has done.
Michelle said: “He looks really proud stood beside his exhibition.”
Kirsty Childs, Director of Eston Arts Centre, said: "It's been great working with Joey, Michelle and Catherine. We want to support creativity from our area, whoever they may be, if they are artists or not, and whatever the art form.
“Dogs are much more than pets and have been a great comfort over the last year to many people.
“Andy Warhol said that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. As he loved animals we think he would have loved the idea of a dog from Eston becoming famous and having their own exhibition. “
“Warhol had two shorthaired dachshunds called Archie and Amos. He took them everywhere with him, to art openings, to Studio 54 (the famous New York nightclub) and even let them answer questions when he was being interviewed. “
“Not many people know that he started painting pet portraits in 1976 as a way of making money from doing artistic commissions. A collaborative painting he made in 1984 with Jean-Michel Basquiat called Untitled (Two Dogs) sold for $1,085,000 in 2014, and one his paintings of Amos Cats and Dogs (Amos) sold for over $300,000 in 2017.”
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