Prison art

Art created by imprisoned people

Prison art is art that is created by persons who are imprisoned.^[1]

Prison art is unique in several ways. Due to the low social status of prisoners, art made by prisoners has not historically been well-respected.^[2]^[3] The art, much like the prisoners themselves, is often subject to controls.^[4]^[5] Art made by prisoners is sometimes valued,^[6] or conversely sometimes sought to be actively destroyed.^[7] Prisoners often lack common art supplies, and have been known to fashion supplies from materials at hand such as candy or instant coffee.^[8]

Examples of prison art

Painting by Bassel Khartabil June 17, 2015, Damascus Central Jail "An attempt to draw a stereotype. This is the stereotype I have in mind for the deformed souls, I have to deal with every day at jail. There are a lot of them."
Incarceration Nation, 2017, by Donald "C-Note" Hooker
Pencil drawing from a German Prisoner of war on a wall in Camp Beale, California. Note the wedding ring.
Ferris Wheel, toothpick art made by a San Quentin prison inmate, Musée Mécanique, San Francisco California
Paintings created by child prisoners on the wall of the prison building in Auschwitz II Birkenau. Image depicts a school.
A Pomeranian Prison Camp, 1941 Louis Mitelle. A view down a gangway in a hut in a POW camp. Dejected prisoners in military uniform sit on the bunks which are three levels high and laundry hangs from the beams above. On the floor a group of prisoners sit huddled together in a group.

References

^ Steinhauer, Jillian (2019-12-12). "Prison Art, a Dark Place Where the Muse Never Leaves". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
^ Greenberger, Alex (2020-07-08). "Incarcerated Artists Are Making Some of Today's Most Important Art. A Powerful New Book Explains Why". ARTnews.com. Archived from the original on 2022-11-11. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
^ Sheets, Hilarie M. (2022-09-22). "From Prison to the Art Gallery". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-01-09. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
^ Rosenberg, Carol (2023-02-07). "Pentagon Lifts Trump-Era Ban on Release of Guantánamo Prisoners' Art". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
^ Boyette, Chris (2015-01-23). "Auschwitz's forbidden art". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
^ Aitken, Peter (2022-11-03). "Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy's clown painting sells for $10k at spooky auction". FOXBusiness. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
^ "SERIAL KILLER'S PAINTINGS TO BE BURNED IN BONFIRE". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
^ Cremin, Geraldine. "The death row inmates who make art". www.bbc.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2023-02-10.

Incarceration

Science

Criminology
Penology
Prison healthcare
Punishment
Stanford prison experiment

Prisoners

Prisons

Types	Black site Corrective labor colony Debtors' Extermination camp Farm Internment Island Labor camp Battalion Chain gang Military Penal colony Prisoner-of-war camp Private Ship Youth detention center
Security levels	House arrest Administrative detention Open Maximum security Supermax Death row
Components	Cell Cemetery Commissary Food Library Nursery Officer Sally port Trusty system Warden
Escape	Prison escapes Helicopter Prisoner-of-war escapes