Beatles drummer Ringo Starr (real name: Richard Starkey) has joined one of the art world's most exclusive clubs after being appointed a Commander of France's Order of Arts and Letters.
The 73-year-old artist was at the opening of an exhibition in the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco featuring two of his paintings, when he received the award from French ambassador Hugues Moret.
Ringo has joined an exclusive club that includes singer David Bowie, film director Wong Kar Wai, actor Sean Connery, and the late Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Ringo jokes:
"I'm a drummer, but I can do other things. Like painting, living, breathing."
