Buzz
The Crying Boy paintings, a collection of portraits, depict a disheveled young boy with piercing eyes that lock onto the viewer, creating an immediate connection. His tear-streaked face, capturing a profound sense of sorrow, elicits a powerful emotional response. Designed to tug at the heartstrings, the artwork achieved its goal with remarkable success.
The Crying Boy series became widely popular in the UK and beyond, with countless prints adorning homes and businesses. Yet, as strange and frightening incidents began to occur, people started to wonder if the paintings carried a dark, malevolent force. Tales of a curse emerged, claiming it harmed the artist, the subject, and even those who owned the prints. While skeptics offered alternative theories, the debate continues, ranging from urban legends and cursed myths to media sensationalism and attempts to boost newspaper sales.
After learning these ten chilling facts about the Crying Boy paintings, you can decide for yourself whether the curse is real or mere folklore.
10. The Artist Worked Under a Pseudonym
The Crying Boy paintings bore the signature of Giovanni Bragolin, a fictional Italian painter. The actual creator was Bruno Amadio, a Spanish artist who sometimes used the alias Franchot Seville. Amadio, one of the most enigmatic figures of the mid-20th century, produced over 60 portraits in his Crying Boy series from the 1950s to 1980. These works were mass-produced, reprinted, and widely circulated, gaining immense popularity, with more than 50,000 copies sold in the UK.
Amadio's Crying Boy series was his only successful body of work, but it came with controversy. The paintings, showcasing themes of horror, suffering, despair, and innocence, sparked rumors of abuse. Some speculated whether Amadio intentionally frightened his subjects to capture their expressions, with critics even comparing him to the devil.
9. The Model Was an Orphan
Amadio claimed that the subject of one of his paintings was a homeless child he encountered in Madrid during the 1960s. The boy, a mute orphan, had a deeply sorrowful look that immediately drew the artist's attention. As Amadio began painting the child, a Catholic priest approached and warned him about the boy's tragic past. The child, named Don Bonillo, had fled after witnessing his parents perish in a fire.
Following the tragedy, mysterious fires erupted wherever the boy went, earning him the nickname “Diablo,” meaning “devil.” Despite the priest's warning to stay away, Amadio disregarded the advice, adopted the boy, and brought him home. It was during this time that Amadio painted the Crying Boy series, immortalizing the child's haunting expression.
8. Amadio’s Studio and Apartment Were Destroyed by Fire
The bond between the artist and his muse ended abruptly when a mysterious fire engulfed Amadio’s studio and apartment. The blaze left him with nothing, leading to his financial ruin. Recalling the priest’s earlier warnings, Amadio blamed the boy for the fire, expelled him, and never saw Don Bonillo again.
Amadio’s troubles deepened as tales of the Crying Boy curse spread throughout Europe. His reputation shifted from celebrated artist to a figure of suspicion, with many viewing him as a harbinger of bad luck. People avoided his paintings, and commissions dried up entirely.
7. Did the Subject Meet a Tragic End?
Tragically, Don Bonillo’s life concluded in flames, mirroring its tragic beginning. In 1976, authorities responded to a car accident on the outskirts of Barcelona. The vehicle had crashed into a wall and exploded. Upon arrival, police discovered the driver, who was alone in the car, had been incinerated beyond recognition.
Officers examined the glove compartment, which remained intact despite the fire, and discovered a fragment of a driver’s license. The name on the license identified the victim as Don Bonillo. For many, the fiery nature of his death seemed to lend credibility to the curse surrounding the Crying Boy paintings.
6. The Prints Endured More Than 60 House Fires
The first documented incident took place in 1985 at the home of Ron and Mary Hall in Rotherham. A fire ravaged the ground floor of their council house, leaving only one item unscathed: a Crying Boy print hanging in their living room. During the blaze, the painting fell face down and emerged with minimal damage. Although investigators attributed the fire to an overheated chip pan, the couple became convinced the painting was cursed and responsible for the devastation.
The Halls were not alone in their ordeal or belief. Numerous similar fires followed, affecting homes and even a pizzeria. Despite ordinary causes, each fire left behind an unharmed Crying Boy painting. The curse reportedly escalated, causing injuries and fatalities, with some buyers experiencing accidents after acquiring the print. Others were shocked to find the painting resistant to flames when they attempted to destroy it.
5. Firefighters Could Not Explain Why the Paintings Remained Unburned
Fire service investigations attributed the house fires to common causes like discarded cigarettes, overheated chip pans, and faulty wiring, dismissing the idea of a supernatural curse. Alan Wilkinson, a Rotherham fire station officer, documented 50 fires where Crying Boy paintings remained unscathed. While skeptical, Wilkinson couldn’t explain their survival. His wife, however, offered her own explanation: “I always say it’s the tears that put the fire out.”
Despite his skepticism, Wilkinson wasn’t entirely free from superstition. When offered a framed Crying Boy print as a retirement gift, he declined. The growing hysteria prompted Mick Riley, Chief Divisional Officer of the Yorkshire Fire Service, to issue a statement debunking the curse. He explained that the paintings survived fires because they were printed on high-density hardboard, which is fire-resistant. However, his explanation failed to convince the public, especially since the paintings often depicted different children and were created by various artists.
4. A British Tabloid Article Sparked the Controversy
On September 4, 1985, the Crying Boy paintings gained widespread attention with an article titled “Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy” in The Sun. The piece, published on page 13, recounted the ordeal of Ron and Mary Hall, recent victims of a house fire. A follow-up article on September 5 featured more chilling stories from readers who claimed to be affected by the curse.
Beyond fires, injuries, and deaths, some readers reported supernatural events, such as the painting swaying on its own or reappearing after being destroyed. The Sun also claimed firefighters believed in the curse, despite official statements to the contrary. The stories captivated readers, and the curse quickly gained notoriety. The Sun fueled the frenzy with increasingly sensational articles, leading to widespread panic by late October. Many turned to the tabloid for answers.
3. The Curse Evolved into an Urban Legend
Despite efforts to debunk the curse, belief in it persisted, solidifying its status as a full-blown urban legend. The legend has grown to include paintings by other artists, such as Anna Zinkeisen, whose portraits of crying children are often linked to the Crying Boy curse. The legend was even explored in Season 3, Episode 4 of “Weird or What?” hosted by William Shatner in 2012. Online communities, like the Dutch “Crying Boy Fan Club,” emerged but have since faded. However, discussions about the curse continue on platforms like the Unexplained Mysteries forum and social media. For instance, on February 2, 2022, the Hanbury Arms Haunted Hotel & Museum announced they had several Crying Boy paintings on display, showing the legend’s enduring appeal.
Esotericists believe that when an artist paints a portrait, a part of the subject’s soul is captured in the artwork. This idea has spawned numerous legends about cursed paintings, with some claiming black magicians could bind a person’s life to their portrait. The Crying Boy paintings, with their haunting expressions of fear, despair, and sorrow, seem to embody this theory. Viewers often feel a deep emotional connection, suggesting the paintings may retain the energy of their subjects. Some believe the children in the portraits sought revenge through the artwork, though this remains purely speculative.
2. The Materials Might Have Played a Role
After the mass bonfire, discussions about the curse quieted but never fully disappeared. British writer and comedian Steve Punt revisited the Crying Boy phenomenon in a BBC Radio 4 production titled “Punt Pi.” Punt bought a Crying Boy painting and experienced unexplained delays during his travels. Later, he attempted to burn the print with construction researcher Martin Shipp, further fueling the mystery.
The two men discovered that the artwork itself wouldn’t burn, except for the string. Punt and Shipp concluded that a fire-retardant varnish had been applied. Their experiment also clarified why the string holding the painting would burn, causing it to fall face down. Another theory suggested that Amadio’s use of compression board made the paintings resistant to flames.
1. The Paintings Were Destroyed in a Massive Bonfire
Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of The Sun and the man behind the Crying Boy curse phenomenon, declared, “Enough is enough. If you’re worried about a Crying Boy painting in your home, send it to us, and we’ll destroy it to end the curse.” The newspaper’s office was soon flooded with thousands of prints, stacking up to twelve feet high and filling every available space. Readers sent in approximately 2,500 copies in total.
MacKenzie quickly devised a plan to dispose of the paintings, organizing a mass bonfire near the River Thames. On Halloween, under the watch of the fire brigade, the paintings were burned. The Sun published an article titled “Crying Flame!” claiming the curse had been lifted. A police officer present at the event reassured readers, “Many people can now breathe a little easier.”
