Zimmerman Latest Notorious Figure to Turn to Art
Dec. 17, 2013— -- Bids for a painting by George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who admitted to killing Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, have reached $100,000 on eBay, the online auction house.
The painting is the first work by Zimmerman, who was acquitted in Martin's death, but it's not the first by a notorious character more famous for his crimes than his art.
The Zimmerman painting depicts an American flag in differing shades of blue with the words "one nation" under the word "God," followed by the words "With liberty and justice for all."
Jodi Arias, convicted of murdering her boyfriend Travis Alexander in May, began selling limited edition prints she drew in prison with colored pencils.
Her first work was first listed on eBay in October, on sale for between $300 and $400.
John Wayne Gacy, a serial murderer nicknamed the "Killer Clown," began producing works of art for sale prior to his execution in 1994.
Gacy, who confessed to killing between 25 and 30 boys and young men, sold his acrylic paintings, many of which depicted demented clowns, for as much as $4,500.
Charles Manson, the charismatic criminal convicted of inspiring his followers to kill half a dozen people in their "Helter Skelter" rage, is a prolific prison artist.
Though known for his music compositions, including works he sold to the Beach Boys, Manson has produced dozens of drawings in prison since his conviction in 1971.
As a young man, Adolf Hitler, one of the world's most notorious mass murderers, dreamed of attending art school.
Hitler, however, was rejected from art institutes twice in 1907 and 1908.
Many of his works were confiscated by the U.S. government following his death in 1945.
