Sammy the Bull Gravano's prison sketches being sold at Hells Kitchen gallery
Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, the mob turncoat who brought down “Dapper Don” John Gotti, has developed a different talent in prison — doodling.
And his charcoal sketches were selling for $250 apiece at a Hell’s Kitchen gallery on Tuesday night.
And his charcoal sketches were selling for $250 apiece at a Hell’s Kitchen gallery on Tuesday night.
Sammy ‘The Bull’ Gravano and John Gotti leave the Ravenite Social Club in Little Italy on March 20, 1990.
Conception Gallery was offering interested buyers the one-time opportunity to purchase a work by the man who was once one of the Mafia’s most feared hit men.
The mob rat now spends his days sketching pictures of mafiosi, skulls and busty women to pass the time and keep his mind sharp in an Arizona prison.
Gravano began taking his work seriously when a fellow inmate offered him a piece of paper, some charcoal and magazine clippings for inspiration. His talent soon attracted the interest of other inmates, who began requesting portraits to send home to their families as gifts.
In one piece, he sketched a 1929 head shot of Al Capone and signed it “Sammy the Bull.”
“When he first sent home a drawing, I didn’t realize he actually created it. The father I knew could barely draw a stick figure,” Gravano’s daughter, Karen, said.
“He sent me a drawing of my daughter. When I was younger, he gave me everything: Rolex’s, diamonds, you name it, but this drawing meant more to me than anything, as I know he put his heart and soul into it and it’s his way of feeling connected to his grandchildren,” said Karen.
She said half of the profits from the sale of her father’s drawings will go to a nonprofit.
A rep from the gallery could not say where the remaining funds would go.
Gravano, 70, has served 16 years of a 20-year term for running an ecstasy ring.
http://nypost.com/2015/10/28/sammy-the-bulls-prison-sketches-getting-rave-reviews/
0 comments:
Post a Comment