KILLER ART
Sondra London
a collection of scrawls of Ottis Toole's that I put on the market, to
follow up the book Killer Fiction by serial killer GJ Schaefer. I used
the same 'Killer' logo to emphasize the continuity in the line published
by Media Queen during those years.
The 'artwork' of this brain-damaged, genetically and socially deficient
serial killer can not be considered 'art.' Its initial purpose was to
allow a functional illiterate to contribute nonverbally to his own life
story. Insights into the criminal mind may be gained by any viewer who
is able to evaluate it as a genuine product of a malignant process.
However, the primary value of this sort of unlovely artifact is on the
collectibles market as murderabilia.
http://www.sondralondon.com/toole/art/index.html
Although 'killer art' did exist before 1991, it did not go by that name
until I put the phrase in the lexicon. Nick Bougas, an artist himself,
is the godfather of killer art, and probably still has the most
important collection in the world.
Rick Staton, the Louisiana mortician, was the first killer art dealer,
although he has very wisely bowed out now that the market has become so
overrun with forgers and ripoff artists that the serious collector is
forced to either deal with the monsters themselves or establish a
relationship with the rare dealer whose integrity can be trusted.
Characteristic of the building contractor he was, John Wayne Gacy used a
prison production line to crank out ugly, overinflated and ultimately
worthless 'product' to which he personally attached little more than his
autograph. The value of this output is solely as murderabilia. It is
inherently incapable of rising to the level of art because of the
intention and spirit of its creation.
Shock value is not a necessary component of Killer Art. For the
collector, it is a combination of the rarity of the item and its
desirability. Given a piece with a shocking or violent theme versus one
by the same artist with a lovely, inoffensive theme, the violent piece
will command a higher price, because most people who collect this sort
of thing appreciate the macabre cachet of a virtual reinactment of an
authentic act of violence. It's a way to possess a piece of history as
well as a way to catch a safe thrill, knowing the same hands that
created the artwork have wrought infamous and deadly deeds.
However, an appreciation for aesthetic value does play a role as well. I
have sold killer art that is proudly displayed for its aesthetic value,
as it validly does justice to the main wall of the great room in the
home of a multimillionaire. The paintings were selected by his wife, a
very cultivated woman with a masters degree in fine arts, and an artist
in her own right. Although this collector owns many pieces of killer art
as financial investments, only a couple of pieces pass muster
aesthetically to the point of actually being on display in the home. And
the Gacy paintings he owns are not among them.
There are plenty of killers selling artwork, but unless they have the
fame to make their work collectible based on the publicity generated by
the press over their crimes, their work remains in the category of
'prison art,' not 'killer art.'
An example of a killer who is an artist, but not a killer artist, would
be Wayne Henderson. Although his painstaking artwork does have
aesthetic value, his four drug-related murder convictions never
generated enough press to create the demand that defines Killer Art.
http://www.sondralondon.com/henderson/index.html
William Heirens provides an example of both. Dubbed "The Catch-Me
Killer" when arrested in 1947, this very bright gentleman has been
active for many years in prison art, organizing an annual prison artshow
and sale, but only since the introduction of the concept of Killer Art
have his delicate watercolors become prime examples of the genre. Their
value as collectibles is due to climb, because the prison where he is
kept has recently restricted the amount of possessions a prisoner may
have, and Heirens is no longer able to have art supplies. Their
aesthetic value will remain the same. One would have to be deliberately
mean-spirited and obtuse to deny their loveliness.
In the opinion of a growing number of informed critics, Danny Rolling is
a prime example of artwork that does rise beyond Killer Art to the level
of art with actual aesthetic value. In February of 1995, the Houston
Chronicle declared, "Momentarily, however, the most sought-after art
appears to be that of Danny Rolling...."
http://www.sondralondon.com/rolling/art/art.html
The Vampire of Paris is the most interesting among killers whose art is
currently being actively collected. Here Nicolas Claux articulates the
grim aesthetic of Killer Art in unforgettable terms, as he relates how
the interest of the public turned him into a killer artist.
"I never went to art school," wrote the confessed killer. "I first
started to draw and paint in 1996. People who had heard of my case wrote
to me asking me if I did any art. So, I realised it was a good way to
get free CD's and true crime books. Then, after awhile, I realized that
I really enjoyed to paint and draw things that I liked. I began to read
art manuals to improve my techniques. It became a real pleasure, and
people seems to like my paintings. So, I started to paint on a regular
basis. I read lots of books on classical paintings. I discovered that
life is about discovering the aesthetics that surround us. I discovered
that death is the ultimate aesthetic pleasure. Nothing matches the
beauty of a dead skin. The post mortem lividities, the colors of a
decaying flesh, blue, green. It's an amazing chromatic palette - and the
act of dying is the most extreme aesthetic experience - the growls of a
man gasping for air is a sweet music. The way a body squirms on the
floor is a choreography. The way they bleed, and the patterns that blood
paints on their shirt, it's art. Life is about art. I don't feel like a
murderer. I feel like an artist - an aesthete."
http://www.sondralondon.com/nico/killer/art.html
--
Sondra London
http://www.sondralondon.com/
Felicia wrote:
>
> Everyone:
>
> With all the hype these days about killer art and shock value, I was hoping
> to get a few opinions. In many cases, mental illness (manic
> depression for one) seems to go hand in hand with artistic ability.
> One would think that killer art should show qualites of expression
> that are uncommon and original. But I've seen some of the artwork
> out there (Gacy for instance) and I find it lacking in quality.
>
> Is there such a thing as quality 'killer' art created for it's artistic
> value
> and not it's shock value?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Felicia
Felicia
Thank you for all the details, Sondra. I appreciate your reply.
Here's another thought/question that comes to mind:
Are there examples out there of killers who produced art in one form or
another prior to their convictions? I think it would be interesting to
compare pre-conviction/post-conviction content, quality, and theme ... if
such an example exists.
Also, has there even been a study done that compares various killer artists
for like themes and content on a psychological basis? (beyond the obvious
crime related themes, of course) Comparisons between spree killers ... mass
murderers ... serial killers. Comparisons between those who are determined
to be sociopaths as opposed to those who are psychotics? I assume that true
sociopaths would have difficulty with artistic expression, having a one
dimensional quality to what they produce.
Common sense would dictate that this mode of expression be theraputic. Have
there been any studies done that validate this? Are prisoners more apt to
become more compliant and cooperative once they have this avenue of release?
If so, in your opinion, do our various state departments of correction have
adequate programs to foster this? It seems that art privileges are the
first thing to go when an inmate is disciplined ... kind of like taking away
someone's Prozac when they have a mood swing ... it doesn't solve the
problem.
For what it's worth .. if any of the above is correct, then our country's
declining interest in art programs in public schools is a troubling thought.
Thanks again for your input.
Felicia
Sondra London
>
> Thank you for all the details, Sondra. I appreciate your reply.
>
> Here's another thought/question that comes to mind:
>
> Are there examples out there of killers who produced art in one form or
> another prior to their convictions? I think it would be interesting to
> compare pre-conviction/post-conviction content, quality, and theme ... if
> such an example exists.
>
Issei Sagawa, the Gentleman Ghoul of Japan, was studying for his
doctorate in Shakespearian literature at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1981,
when he shot Renée Hartevelt, a Dutch classmate he admired, and dined
upon her flesh - realizing an erotic fantasy that had haunted him since
the age of three.
"I am a very short, ugly, yellow monkey man," he told me a few months
ago. "I admired the tall, beautiful white girls, and I wanted to taste
them. I strongly wanted to eat their meat. I felt I could never fulfill
myself unless I did it."
The pampered child of a wealthy Japanese industrialist, he had studied
art since the age of five, and since his release from a French hospital
for the criminally insane and his repatriation to Japan in 1984, he has
become quite the socialite.
He has published twelve books, most of them bestsellers, has appeared in
several movies and TV shows, and served as a restaurant reviewer for the
trendy magazine Spa.
In 1994, he presented a seminar called Sagawa's World, where he debuted
an erotic film called "The Desire To Be Eaten."
His paintings reveal a highly trained eye and hand, but the only artwork
he did before his arrest that I have seen is a sketch of the young lady
he killed, which he had drawn in art class the first time he saw her.
Today, his vision is failing due to diabetes, and he does not paint as
much.
A thoroughly cultured, extremely gentle and hypersensitive man, he
continues to be a productive member of society, although he still
fantasizes about once again eating the flesh of a white lady.
"I didn't want to kill Renée, I just wanted to taste her meat," he told
me. "I regret terribly killing her. That's why I have not repeated my
cannibal crime. I still enjoy my fantasy of eating human flesh, but I
will never kill again."
http://www.sondralondon.com/vampire/sagawa/issei.html
> Also, has there even been a study done that compares various killer artists
> for like themes and content on a psychological basis? (beyond the obvious
> crime related themes, of course) Comparisons between spree killers ... mass
> murderers ... serial killers. Comparisons between those who are determined
> to be sociopaths as opposed to those who are psychotics?
Nope. Time to get to work, is that what you're saying?
I assume that true
> sociopaths would have difficulty with artistic expression, having a one
> dimensional quality to what they produce.
>
Art therapy is the field that comes closest to addressing this line of
inquiry. I learned about this from Joel Norris, who was known as the
author of that old book SERIAL KILLERS: The Growing Menace, but whose
background and training, such as it was, was in art therapy, not
forensic psychology or anything related to crime.
Since then I have interviewed several practicing clinical psychologists
who use artwork as a part of their therapy. It's amazing the things they
can tell me about an unidentified serial killer just from a simple
drawing, but the process, rather than being something that can be
reduced to a formula, it is more a matter of intuitive interpretation,
and it was stressed that it won't bear all the weight of diagnosis by
itself, as it's not a code where one thing equals or signifies another,
but is best used in a clinical setting as an adjunct to other
approaches. Not as a blind guessing game, but as an additional way of
communicating with a patient.
Another issue that complicates the interpretation of artwork is that
doing art for someone is a transaction, and something that shows up in
the art will often be a message from the artist to the person requesting
the art, whether or not the artist is conscious of it as such.
An example that I can recall right offhand was with Danny Rolling, who
has a fairly advanced grasp of how to draw the human figure, and has
drawn many, many perfectly well-proportioned female figures for me just
because he wanted to.
But when I asked him to draw a female figure as part of a psychological
test, the drawing he turned in was strangely distorted and awkward.
But you wouldn't want to interpret everything you see there as relevant
to how he sees WOMANKIND, since you do take it in context of actually
knowing much more about him; you would do better to interpret those
distortions more in terms of how he relates to conforming with
expectations or commitments or authority versus doing what he feels like
doing. The distortion of the figure came from it being a test rather
than a spontaneous expression.
> Common sense would dictate that this mode of expression be theraputic. Have
> there been any studies done that validate this?
Oh sure, but when you are a prisoner you are not a patient. You are
there to be punished and to suffer so that your keepers may be perceived
as being "tough on crime."
Are prisoners more apt to
> become more compliant and cooperative once they have this avenue of release?
Well, most corrections professionals on the job advocate such
mild-mannered pastimes, as they make their jobs easier. And prisoners
know it's a privilege they can lose if they cut up.
> If so, in your opinion, do our various state departments of correction have
> adequate programs to foster this?
No. Like here in Georgia, they allocated every penny for construction of
physical facilities, even though there are already prisons built and
standing empty - leaving not one cent for staffing of even security
personnel much less frills like cultural empowerment or life skills.
Nobody cares about this stuff. Just how to speed up the process of
appealing wrongful convictions so killers can be seen to burn with
alarity.
Instead of exploring alternatives in sentencing, it is considered
sexier, more macho, to go draconian: chain gangs, boot camps,
double-header executions.
GET TOUGH! BURN 'EM!
It seems that art privileges are the
> first thing to go when an inmate is disciplined ... kind of like taking away
> someone's Prozac when they have a mood swing ... it doesn't solve the
> problem.
>
Of course not. Depressed and demoralized prisoners who are desperate and
have nothing to lose are very dangerous indeed.
> For what it's worth .. if any of the above is correct, then our country's
> declining interest in art programs in public schools is a troubling thought.
>
> Thanks again for your input.
>
> Felicia
You're welcome. It's a pleasure to engage in a civilized discourse
occasionally.
Sondra London
http:www.sondralondon.com/
Destiny2520
>a collection of scrawls of Ottis Toole's that I put on the market, to
>follow up the book Killer Fiction by serial killer GJ Schaefer. I used
>the same 'Killer' logo to emphasize the continuity in the line published
>by Media Queen during those years.
>
>The 'artwork' of this brain-damaged, genetically and socially deficient
>serial killer can not be considered 'art.' Its initial purpose was to
>allow a functional illiterate to contribute nonverbally to his own life
>story. Insights into the criminal mind may be gained by any viewer who
>is able to evaluate it as a genuine product of a malignant process.
>However, the primary value of this sort of unlovely artifact is on the
>collectibles market as murderabilia.
>
I'm sure you did, according to you. Did you also, perhaps, coin the phrase
"Serial Killer"? I'm sure Robert Ressler will be pleased to hear that.
Sondra London
>
> Sondra:
>
> I've looked through the various links you provided, and they supplied a
> wealth of information. I'm no professional ... just like to discuss it.
> Ottis Toole's 'artwork' was painful to say the least .. but what did you
> think of his fixation on ears and exaggerated features? Just childish
> format or is there something more to be learned there?
>
There was definitely something to it. Norris and I speculated at first
that it meant something about loud sounds, maybe a side effect of his
epilepsy, maybe everyone at home screamed at him... but it became clear
upon discussion in person, that it had something to do with ears 'big
enough to be used as handles' - and in fact, this discussion enabled him
to discuss his early sexual abuse, when he was unable to do so through
direct questioning alone.
> Nico Claux was something else! His fascination with the texture and color
> of skin is amazing. His portrait of Fairuza Balk speaks volumes.
>
An unrepentent necrophile and "nearly-psychotic sadist," he still
manages to identify himself as an aesthete. Remarkable indeed.
> I found Danny Rolling to be very symbolic. His sense of drama impells you
> to search for more, insisting there is a story beneath.
Yes, the Battle Between Good & Evil is seen in nearly every piece. At
least a sense of conflict, struggle, justaposition of beauty and menace.
And then coming
> across 'Fait Accompli' ... Definitely not a painting you can look at once a
> feel like you know all there is to tell about it.
>
And yet, he almost threw it away as "the ugliest painting I ever did."
But it's unique insofar as being a genuine product of a homicidal fury
channeled into art.
> > Also, has there even been a study done that compares various killer
> artists
> > for like themes and content on a psychological basis? (beyond the obvious
> > crime related themes, of course) Comparisons between spree killers ...
> mass
> > murderers ... serial killers. Comparisons between those who are
> determined
> > to be sociopaths as opposed to those who are psychotics?
>
> Nope. Time to get to work, is that what you're saying?
>
> Sure is.
>
: )
> I see what you mean. The interpretation, I'd say, is more valuable when
> it's spontaneous .... in an expected situation, it does provide
> information, but anyone might feel the same way when put on the
> line. There may be adverse feelings towards authority .. towards
> being probed .. towards a show of producing inner feelings on
> demand. Any, or all of the above. Quite normal.
>
> I see that this entire concept goes a lot deeper than simply killer
> art for profits sake.
>
And yet, the profit part is all that matters in certain circles.
> > If so, in your opinion, do our various state departments of correction
> have
> > adequate programs to foster this?
>
> No. Like here in Georgia, they allocated every penny for construction of
> physical facilities, even though there are already prisons built and
> standing empty - leaving not one cent for staffing of even security
> personnel much less frills like cultural empowerment or life skills.
>
> Nobody cares about this stuff. Just how to speed up the process of
> appealing wrongful convictions so killers can be seen to burn with
> alarity.
>
> Instead of exploring alternatives in sentencing, it is considered
> sexier, more macho, to go draconian: chain gangs, boot camps,
> double-header executions.
>
> GET TOUGH! BURN 'EM!
>
> Well, they have their work cut out for them. I'm sure they're pleased to
> know that they'll be roasting quite a few marshmallows.
>
> Another question: Nick Bougas, and Rick Staton. Are their collections
> open to the public?
>
No, they are not. Both have learned to cherish their privacy and view
with alarm what has become of what started out as a legitimate interest,
but has now become so overrun with scoundrels it has given the honest
collector and dealer a bad name.
> Thanks,
>
> Felicia
My pleasure, I am sure.
Sondra London
Felicia
I've looked through the various links you provided, and they supplied a
wealth of information. I'm no professional ... just like to discuss it.
Ottis Toole's 'artwork' was painful to say the least .. but what did you
think of his fixation on ears and exaggerated features? Just childish
format or is there something more to be learned there?
Nico Claux was something else! His fascination with the texture and color
of skin is amazing. His portrait of Fairuza Balk speaks volumes.
I found Danny Rolling to be very symbolic. His sense of drama impells you
to search for more, insisting there is a story beneath. And then coming
across 'Fait Accompli' ... Definitely not a painting you can look at once a
feel like you know all there is to tell about it.
> Also, has there even been a study done that compares various killer
artists
> for like themes and content on a psychological basis? (beyond the obvious
> crime related themes, of course) Comparisons between spree killers ...
mass
> murderers ... serial killers. Comparisons between those who are
determined
> to be sociopaths as opposed to those who are psychotics?
Nope. Time to get to work, is that what you're saying?
Sure is.
I see what you mean. The interpretation, I'd say, is more valuable when
it's spontaneous .... in an expected situation, it does provide
information, but anyone might feel the same way when put on the
line. There may be adverse feelings towards authority .. towards
being probed .. towards a show of producing inner feelings on
demand. Any, or all of the above. Quite normal.
I see that this entire concept goes a lot deeper than simply killer
art for profits sake.
> If so, in your opinion, do our various state departments of correction
have
> adequate programs to foster this?
No. Like here in Georgia, they allocated every penny for construction of
physical facilities, even though there are already prisons built and
standing empty - leaving not one cent for staffing of even security
personnel much less frills like cultural empowerment or life skills.
Nobody cares about this stuff. Just how to speed up the process of
appealing wrongful convictions so killers can be seen to burn with
alarity.
Instead of exploring alternatives in sentencing, it is considered
sexier, more macho, to go draconian: chain gangs, boot camps,
double-header executions.
GET TOUGH! BURN 'EM!
Well, they have their work cut out for them. I'm sure they're pleased to
know that they'll be roasting quite a few marshmallows.
Another question: Nick Bougas, and Rick Staton. Are their collections
open to the public?
Thanks,
Felicia