Serial killer art
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Serial Killer Art is normally defined as art work created by serial killers while in prison.
Often, this process of painting is used as a therapy device (see art therapy), or for further understanding a particularly disturbed psyche, while in other instances it is purely a method of time spanning entertainment for imprisoned individuals. The artists usually vary dramatically in skill and themes covered.
John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, and Henry Lee Lucas are a few of the better known American serial killer artists. Perry Smith, the mass murderer known from Truman Capote's famous nonfiction work In Cold Blood, was also a prolific artist.
Collectors typically must have direct contact to obtain and authenticate this art. The actual pieces can sell for large sums of money depending on the individual artist, and their notoriety through serial killing.
Serial killer art need not always be taken seriously. In his autobiography "Final Truth", serial killer Donald Gaskins confesses making carbon copies of Disney characters from magazines and selling them through his lawyer just to gain some money.
Serial killer artwork that is sold or collected (as well as other artifacts pertaining to serial killers) is referred to as murderabilia.
