Description:

CHARLES MANSON VOLUME OF ORIGINAL PRISON ART
CHARLES MANSON (1934 - 2017) Drifter whose 'family' committed the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969. An important Manson item and the best we've seen, a volume of original artwork by Manson and created by him in prison containing 16 pieces of original art, six of which have been signed by him in full, most as 'Charles Milles Manson' and all incorporating a swastika in the signature, as is his custom. The pages, each 11 x 8.5 in., are bound in what once was part of a larger sketchbook, the balance of the book likely blank and torn away, as is the back cover and half of the black front cover. Much of the artwork within is completely different from what is usually seen as coming from Manson. In order of appearance, the book contains: a page of multi-colored concentric ink circles with an attached image of Manson playing a guitar, his head just beneath the center. He has added an 'X' to his forehead (to match the one he incised into his own forehead) and has written 'A.T.W.A.' at top ('Air, Trees, Water, Animals') and signed in full at bottom; a multi-colored image of two open hands touching each other in marker and watercolor, unsigned; a full-page image of his mug shot, lettering colored-in with the addition of colored lines and an 'X' on his forehead, in marker, unsigned; a full-page drawing of multi-colored lines in opposing directions, in marker, unsigned; a full page of teardrop-shaped images with a variety of largely blue 'evil eyes' contained within, all within a black-spotted yellow background, in marker and possibly watercolor, signed in full; dozens of rectangles drawn upon each other, each group containing the same color spot within each rectangle, in ink and marker, signed in full, a simple series of black ink rectangles drawn upon each other, black ink, unsigned; a yin-yang symbol (concept in Chinese philosophy, symbolizing opposing but complementary forces that are in constant interaction and balance) containing a smiling face, the perimeter bearing ten ear-like structures with colored protuberances, black ink and marker, unsigned; a black ink spiral containing a number of dashes, a spider at the center, unsigned, a photo of Manson and a height measuring rule, probably from his arrest, these being bordered in green marker with the balance of the page containing vertical wavy black ink lines and red jagged lines, unsigned; three watercolor brush strokes, unsigned; an intricate collection of perhaps several hundred black circles in an unorganized pattern, some being yin-yang symbols, others containing wavy lines, another circle, or filled-in in black, an circle with an 'X' at top, watercolor, signed at bottom; an image of what resembles the sun containing a yin-yang symbol, a slanted line of circles beneath, black ink, unsigned; a starling image of four Manson Family members protesting at his trial, their heads and arms colored yellow and an 'X' applied to each forehead, the image applied on a tilt to a page covered with multi-colored lines in many directions, in marker and signed in full; a full page abstract 'splatter' watercolor which is also offset to the opposite blank page, signed in full; and another watercolor in pastel colors, the same technique, unsigned. It should be noted that five of the works have been accomplished back to back. These works were given by Manson to fellow inmate James 'Jimmy Mac' McElroy (1945–2011), an Irish American mobster and racketeer from New York who was an enforcer for the Westies, a criminal organization that operated out of Hell's Kitchen. In 1990 he testified against John Gotti to get a reduction in his racketeering charges, stating that he acted on orders from the Gambino boss when assaulting a Carpenter's Union official. McElroy was housed in a California state prison to protect him to some degree from retribution from Gotti associates in a federal jail. Overall fine condition, possibly some of the most controversial work Manson ever created.

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June 27, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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