Killer Art: A Serial Killer Art Review
Artists have long been fascinated by death and dying. Joe Coleman and Pushead made names for themselves several years ago by using gore as a primary theme in their work. And recently it seems that a new generation of artists have found influence in the same kind of material — guys like current NYC it-boy, Neckface. But is it possible that these artists have been influenced by the actual art of serial killers? In hopes of finding out, we decided to take a closer look at the creative underbelly that is this country’s mass murderers. Here’s our rundown (click thumbnails for full image):
Killer: Angelo Buono
Body count: 10
Fun fact: Was one half of the duo known as the Hillside Strangler
Review: A little too Thomas Kinkade for our tastes, but technically-speaking, not too shabby
Grade: C
Killer: Arthur Shawcross
Body count: 13
Fun fact: Ate several of his female victim’s genitals
Review: Your run-of-the-mill flash tattoo designs
Grade: C-
Killer: Charles Manson
Body count: We’ll never know
Fun fact: Has a swastika tattooed on his forehead
Review: The Rothko of serial killer artists
Grade: A
Killer: Charles Ng
Body count: 25+
Fun fact: Became a jailhouse lawyer and has yet to stand trial for his murders
Review: A decent representational artist, though his subject matter likely got him beaten up in the hoosegow
Grade: B-
Killer: Gerald Stano
Body count: 41
Fun fact: Was killed in the electric chair in 1998
Review: Uh dude, is that a Care Bear?
Grade: F
Killer: Harrison Graham
Body count: 7+
Fun fact: Lured junkie prostitutes back to his apartment to kill them
Review: Mediocre pen and paper nature drawings
Grade: D
Killers: Henry Lee Lucas & Ottis Toole
Combined body count: 6-200+
Fun fact: Henry was the inspiration for the film “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.” Together, Henry and Ottis cooked and ate a man during a Black Mass ritual
Review: Lucas’ monster portraits are downright scary. Toole’s monster portraits ain’t bad either
Grade: Lucas, A-; Toole, B-
Killer: Herbert Mullen
Body count: 13
Fun fact: Was voted “most likely to succeed” in high school
Review: Nice use of color, though fairly mundane
Grade: C+
Killer: John Wayne Gacy
Body count: 33
Fun fact: Used to work as a clown at hospitals
Review: Gacy has actually had legitimate art shows, though his art is often as twisted as he is
Grade: A
Killer: Kevin Haley
Body count: 8
Fun fact: Liked to kill and rape with his brother
Review: Draws about as well as we do
Grade: D-
Killer: Patrick Kearney
Body count: 28+
Fun fact: Left his victims in trash bags along the California highway
Review: What Shepard Fairey’s work would look like if he were a serial killer
Grade: B+
Killer: Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. “The Night Stalker”
Body count: 16+
Fun fact: Left Judas Priest lyrics at a crime scene
Review: High school notebook scrawls of heavy metal mascots
Grade: D
Killer: Robin Gecht
Body count: 17
Fun fact: Will be eligible for parole in 2022
Review: Like, totally surreal dude
Grade: B-
Killer: Tommy Lynn Sells
Body count: 12+
Fun fact: First committed murder at the age of 16
Review: Probably gives killer jailhouse tattoos
Grade: C+
If any of the above images have piqued your interest, you can purchase your very own serial killer painting here.
Related post: Rock Star Art Review
01.23.05 at 7:53 pm
No Gary Gilmore?
01.24.05 at 2:59 pm
What, no Gary Glitter?
01.24.05 at 4:12 pm
What, no Gary Shandling?
01.24.05 at 6:26 pm
What, no me?
- Gary
01.31.05 at 6:47 am
Here are two that I have in my personal collection.
“Nearer My God to Thee” Jack Kevorkain
http://dailyabuse.typepad.com/photos/art_gallery/21_1.html
Son Of Sam by John Wayne Gacy
http://dailyabuse.typepad.com/photos/art_gallery/fb_1.html
02.08.05 at 11:58 pm
Manson’s swastika isn’t tattooed, it’s carved into his head.
07.07.05 at 5:48 am
I have a painting that William Dale Archerd painted as a gift for my parents. He was the insulin murderer in California, and was arrested in I believe ‘67. He spent years killing his family members. I’d be interested in selling it, but I’m not sure how, and where the market is. Any ideas?
02.28.06 at 7:25 am
Email me sometime if you’d like to know some info on where and how you can attempt to sell your art online. I correspond with many serial killers currently, yet I don’t sell art or anything just buy and collect at times. Today I received 2 works of art in the mai lfrom Art Shawcross.
Email me anytime just make it known i nthe heading so I know.
04.17.06 at 7:19 pm
1.)manson can draw!
2.)arthor shawcross’ drawing looks like an amateur tatoo artist, but i wonder? how would he draw as “arty” under hypnosis.
3.)buono, his drawing or sketch is very bob ross scenic, doesn’t look like someone who could strangle a women would draw that, looks like my grandmother’s art.
4.)ramirez is just a demon, and his art looks like a young highly disturbed 5th grader drew it!
06.07.07 at 6:11 pm
you people are all sick! Think of the families you asshole!!!
06.14.07 at 6:05 am
Sick? The whole world depraves and withers on murder, so are you!
06.22.07 at 11:34 am
Not sure I understand how being a killer makes you a legitimate artist. Many of the examples on this page are abysmal and truly wouldn’t be marketable at all if it weren’t for the fact that a murderer painted it. I guess if you’re nostalgic about your favorite serial killer you might be able to justify buying one, but strictly speaking about the art - most of it is completely worthless aesthetically and artistically (although apparently it has great worth to those profiting from it…) What a waste of time…
07.05.07 at 3:52 pm
Dick Ramirez’s drawing of a monster is dissapointing. To me the use of color suggest a more happier side to the normally morose killer.
07.05.07 at 4:00 pm
In response to mr Smith:
It’s not like the people are considering these drawing pieces of art, it’s just the fact that a psycopath drew them, so as curious humans we look to try and see how fucked up that person is since we will never truly understand why they did what they did, it gives a sense of chills to see these murderers do such a human thing.
07.14.07 at 4:54 am
Serial Killer art is primarily of interest to those who are interested in true crime. It is like a snapshot into the killer’s psyche….at any rate, collecting true crime art is no different from collecting cabbage patch dolls…there will always be someone out there saying “what the fuck do you need that for???” Anyone interested in buying John Gacy or Henry Lee Lucas art, I’ve got a couple for sale. stiffler4444@hotmail.com
07.25.07 at 1:36 am
anyone intersted in serial killer art should go to http://www.ggallin.com his brother merle has a large selection from various murderers and such.
08.11.07 at 6:50 am
Anyone know of a good spot or site or anything to purchase serial killer art? I may not be buying any at this point in time due to money issues but defiantly in the future. If anyone has any information my email is syntheticxbliss@hotmail.com
12.20.07 at 11:20 pm
The American Illuminati. Get all your lurid details here. Truth? You can’t handle the Truth! robert wiliam pickton, law enforcement, pickton trial, pickton verdict, robert pickton, serial killer, willie pickton, williy pickton
01.16.08 at 9:20 am
You fuckin blow at drawing I wish i could fuckin blow up your goddamn website with fuckin uzziees. I KILL U
01.16.08 at 9:24 am
Allyson there is a serial killer website you can go to, to purchase serial killer merchandise. And maybe on the side we can have sex with vegatables like lettuce and shit. Maybe a carrot or cucumber for you???????!!!!!!!
01.16.08 at 9:25 am
Sorry I’m a dumbass the site is Serialkillercalender.com
04.15.08 at 11:39 am
not surprised to see you here, Anna
08.13.08 at 7:36 pm
This is amazing. I’m in awe.
10.26.08 at 9:23 am
Would anyone here be interested in an original painting by the Happy Face Killer? Email fattymuschubbs@yahoo.com for details.
10.30.08 at 6:24 pm
I would hardly consider Dr. Jack Kevorkian a serial killer. And although his piece “Nearer My God to Thee” is very dark, it seems an apropriate satire of the anti-euthanasia view on death- happiness with life until the end, tolerable, and eternal bliss immediately afterward- hardly the case for most suffering from advanced chronic illness. Kevorkian wanted to provide a safe and guarunteed form of suicide in order to prevent any horrifically botched attemps, since his patients were rendered extremely weak by their diseases. Technically, Kevorkian only actually killed one man, the fifth and last of his “victims”. The previous four had themselves pressed a button on a machine that automatically administered a series of injections, whereas Kevorkian directly administered the injections himself (and released to the press a recording of) for the fifth man who suffered from an advanced stage of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Kevorkian’s reasoning (since he had been aquitted of the last four deaths due to compelling testimony of the patients’ suffering) was so that he would be guarunteed a prosecution which would seem unfair, and thus result in some change of the laws for assisted suicide. Although the doctor had made thorough documentation of the last patient’s agreement and wishes to die, and the suffering he went through (the main reason the man wanted to die was because he was terrified that he was going to choke to death since he could barely swallow or breathe), the unfortunate judge for the trial refused to allow any of these as evidence or testimony from the family- she decided that the issue of the trial was whether Kevorkian was the cause of the man’s death or not- not whether the man wanted to die.
In addition, Buono’s piece isn’t at all Kinkade rubbish. It’s very sinister indeed and resembles the type of back woods, adandoned barn a killer might dream of for storing/playing with victims.
10.30.08 at 6:29 pm
Also also also.
Anyone who wants should be able to find/view the tape of Kevorkian’s last patient’s death online. CBS includes with the recording a wonderful interview with said patient’s family and Kevorkian himself. Beautiful.
10.30.08 at 6:36 pm
I think this is the video KWS meant..
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2879473n%3fsource=search_video
11.07.08 at 9:52 pm
So basically, given the fact that my last post was on 10/26, and I’ve gotten no emails, I’m guessing nobody cares about Keith Jesperson art?
12.10.08 at 8:16 pm
I believe my works will be worth something… As soon as I’m caught.
Body count, 7.
05.04.09 at 12:18 pm
i have a painting by richard wiley who murdered his wife with an african cerimonial knife went to prison got out and murdered his next wife and her son then himself with a civil war rifle i would like to find a buyer for it
09.03.09 at 3:15 pm
You guys left out Elmer Wayne Henley. One of Dean Corll’s partners in crime, Henley has become a fairly decent artist. Of course, he’s had 30 years to hone his skills too.