Who Is Tasya Van Ree? New Details About Amber Heard's Ex-Girlfriend
She called Amber Heard her "muse."
getty Johnny Depp’s $50 million lawsuit against Amber Heard is loaded with accusations that his ex-wife is a hypocrite.
“Ms. Heard Was Not A Victim Of Domestic Violence: She Was A Perpetrator,” Depp said in the 40-page document. “Long before Ms. Heard became a self-described ‘public figure representing domestic abuse’ based on her false domestic violence allegations against Mr. Depp, Ms. Heard was in a relationship. But Ms. Heard was not the victim in that relationship. She was the abuser."
The documents are referring to Heard’s relationship before Depp. Her ex-partner, Tasya van Ree, has spoken about the alleged incident in the past. But who is Tasya van Ree? Below are details about her stunning career and four-year romance with Heard.
1. She is an artist.
Van Ree’s work spans across multiple media.
She has produced art from photography, to painting and pencil drawings, to short films.
Her work has been featured in several exhibits, both as a solo artist and with other artists, including David Lynch and Jessica Lange.
2. She’s best known for her black-and-white photography.
She has taken stunning photos of celebrities including Michelle Rodriguez, Katherine Moennig and Matt Dallas.
One of van Ree’s favorite subjects was Amber Heard. She has referred to Amber Heard as her muse in many interviews before they came out as a couple.
“Gala is to Salvador Dali, Kiki de Montparnasse is to Man Ray, Beatrice is to Dante Alighieri,” she said, as Heard is to van Ree.
3. She’s very particular about her fashion choices.
Van Ree has a particular style, most notably her hat.
She has said that her hat helps her express that she’s “a cowboy at heart...part alien, part cowboy, part male, part female...I think you become what you wear, and your personality kind of aligns with what you look like from the outside.”
Van Ree also launched a line of T-shirts under the brand name Die Wilder. She took a symbolic approach to the fashion line; the label was supposed to convey “the intellectual and emotional closeness of life and death,” she told Interview magazine.
4. Heard came out with van Ree.
In 2010, GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) celebrated its 25th anniversary. Heard was one of the stars in attendance and made headlines for coming out. She attended the event with van Ree. She told After Ellen how she felt about her partner.
“She’s so beautiful,” she said, “I mean, you’d have to be crazy not to want to go out with her!”
Heard also spoke about being openly gay.
“I think GLAAD is one of the many reasons that I, as a 24-year-old, can come out. I can’t be a part of the problem. I hate the idea of a label just as much as anyone else but I’m with who I’m with, I love who I love.”
Heard reflected on coming out at The Economist’s Pride & Prejudice event in 2017. To her close friends and family, she “was always out."
"I was never in. I was in a relationship and I never hid it and then my career and my life started to change.”
Her relationship with van Ree had begun in 2008. But after she came out, “I became attached to a label. I’ve ever seen myself defined by the person I’m with.” But she decided to wear her label. “I saw myself being in this unique position and having a unique responsibility. So, I bit the bullet.”
5. Van Ree got a tattoo in Heard’s honor.
She has a tattoo of Heard’s first name on her arm. It’s on her right forearm, next to large red roses.
Van Ree revealed the tattoo in a 2013 interview after she and Heard broke up. She didn’t say much about it, though. Van Ree explained a quote in Spanish on her left arm from a Pablo Neruda poem—”I love you because I know no other way to love,” then a bow and arrow with a serpent on her right arm, “love till you bleed,” and then, “you know, girls’ names.”
6. Heard was arrested in 2009 for hitting van Ree.
It’s not that simple, however: Van Ree spoke out about the arrest as recently as 2016. The charge was eventually dropped. Van Ree explained the situation seven years later in a statement to E! News, in the midst of Heard and Depp’s divorce.
“In 2009, Amber was wrongfully accused for an incident that was misinterpreted and over-sensationalized by two individuals in a powerful position. I recount hints of misogynistic attitudes toward us which later appeared to be homophobic when they found out we were domestic partners and not just ‘friends.’ Charges were quickly dropped and she was released moments later.”
It had been reported that the two had gotten into an argument at the Seattle Tacoma International airport, and Heard grabbed van Ree’s arm. Heard was taken into custody shortly thereafter, and was booked for misdemeanor domestic violence.
Back in 2016, van Ree still spoke highly of her ex.
“It’s disheartening that Amber’s integrity and story are being questioned yet again,” she said in her statement. “Amber is a brilliant, honest and beautiful woman and I have the utmost respect for her. We shared 5 wonderful years together and remain close to this day.”
Van Ree has yet to say anything about Depp’s lawsuit. She and Heard were seen together in August 2018 for a girls’ outing in New York City.
Alison Cerri is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture and relationship topics.