Bronson Artwork Display In Tube Sparks Fury

Sky News
29th April 2010
By Jo Couzens

Artwork by one of Britain's most notorious and dangerous prisoners has gone on display at a London Underground station sparking outrage from a victim support group.

Charles Bronson was jailed for armed robbery in 1974.

During his 36 years behind bars, the 58-year-old has committed a string of offences including hostage-taking and rooftop protests and has spent most of the time in solitary confinement.

In 1999, he received a life sentence for holding prison art teacher Phil Danielson hostage for 44 hours, although he did not physically harm him.

Born Michael Peterson, Bronson changed his name in the 80s supposedly in honour of the star of the Death Wish films.

Now one of the criminal's drawings has been put on show at Angel Tube by underground art exhibition Art Below.

Created in 2006 by Ben Moore, Art Below says on its website it uses billboard space "to display the work of emerging creatives".

Bronson's drawing, which will be displayed at the station for two weeks, depicts a head with three faces poking out of a straitjacket.

Mr Moore describes the criminal's work as full of "madness and sadness".

"You'll never see any artwork like it because no artist is going to spend more than 36 years inside an incarcerated space," he said.

But a spokesman for the National Victims' Association said: "The overwhelming majority of victims of crime will be astonished and thoroughly depressed."

Bronson has already received critical acclaim for his drawings.

In 2005, some of his pictures went on public display at the Dyson Art Gallery in East London, priced at up to £2,000 each.