Robert De Niro Spends Time with Daughter Drena and Son Julian at Art Basel Miami Beach: ‘A Family Affair’

Robert De Niro’s Saturday was all about art and family!

The actor, 80, took to the Art Basel Miami Beach stage to chat with French artist JR, with two of his children – Drena and Julian De Niro – in the audience cheering him on.

At the event, the trio spent quality time together, and even took some rare family photos that Drena (52) shared in a post on Instagram.

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Julian, Robert and Drena De Niro at Art Basel Miami Beach.

Drena/Instagram

For the first photo, Robert, Drena and Julian, 28, huddled together in the photo booth. In another, they posed in what looked like a brightly colored photo at a fair, with Taxi driver the star standing in the foreground while his children with outstretched limbs in the background.

The group also posed in front of some artworks, and were even joined by Robert’s panel co-host, JR, in a few shots. In one photo, all four struck the same pose, looking up and to the side while a black-and-white photograph stood in the background.

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Julian, Robert and Drena De Niro at Art Basel Miami Beach.

Drena/Instagram

“It’s a family thing,” Drena wrote in the caption. “24 hours of much needed joy, laughter, art, family time and friendship. What more can you wish for ♥️🫶🏽💙.”

Also in the post, she paid tribute to her late son – and Roberto’s late grandson – Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez.

On the last slide, she shared a photo of a mural painted in honor of Leandro, who died of an accidental overdose at the age of 19 earlier this year. The mural is located in Wynwood, a neighborhood in Miami known for its colorful murals.

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From left: Julian De Niro, Robert De Niro, artist JR and Drena De Niro at Art Basel Miami Beach.

Drena/Instagram

The mural is a black and white portrait of Leander and shows a red heart around his eye. It reads, “You can’t spell love without Leo,” a reference to Leandro’s childhood video, which Drena previously shared on Instagram.

She dedicated a separate post to the mural, sharing photos of herself, Julian and Robert posing in front of it. In one picture, the family also posed with the artist who painted the mural.

“Thank you @_cyst1_ for this incredibly touching tribute to our beautiful Lea,” Drena wrote alongside the post. “Thank you Marelos for allowing us to experience this moment together on this short trip. Pedro, you have brought much healing to mine, @juliansden and our father’s heart with this beautiful mural. #cantspelllovewithoutleo #wynwood #miami #mural #leandroforever 🖤🫶🏽♥️🕊️✨.”

Robert shares Dren and son Raphael, 47, with his first wife, actress Diahnne Abbott. He shares Juliana, as well as Julian’s twin Aaron (28), with his ex-girlfriend, model and actress Toukie Smith.

The Oscar winner also shares son Elliot, 24, and daughter Helen Grace, 11, with ex-wife Grace Hightower, as well as eight-month-old daughter Gia with girlfriend Tiffany Chen.

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In 2020, Robert opened up to PEOPLE about his parenting style, revealing that he encourages his children to reach for their dreams.

“I tell my kids, ‘If you want to be an actor or you want to do this or that, that’s fine as long as you’re happy. Just don’t fail,’ he said.

He added: “That’s the most I would say — try a little harder and go for what you really think you want to do. Don’t be afraid. It is important for them to find their path.”

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The actor and connoisseur of art also said that becoming a father has changed the way he sees the world.

“When you become a parent, you become more aware of certain things, more sensitive to them,” he told PEOPLE, adding that watching his parents, artists Virginia and Robert De Niro Sr., helped nurture his own sense of creativity.

“It’s not like my family sat around the table and talked about art, but they were an example. Expressing yourself through music, movies, acting, dancing, whatever — these are expressions that people need to connect with,” he said. “Whether it’s about going to museums, theaters, cinema, TV, anything. We need that. It is part of our culture, part of our society. It is important that he is there.”

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Source: HIS Education