The American gunman has sold his first painting on ebay for the whopping sum of $100,099.99.
George Zimmerman shot dead 17 year old American high school student Teyvon Martin in 2012 but was acquitted of the charge of manslaughter in June of this year. He shot the teen after allegedly acting in self-defense, following an altercation between the two that left him with head injuries.
The 30 year old has said he has found an outlet for the frustration and emotion caused by the court case, and the abuse he has received from it, in the form of art. And now some chump has paid over 100 grand for the "pleasure" of having the work hang in their house.
Zimmerman said on the ebay post attached to his work "First hand painted artwork by me, George Zimmerman. Everyone has been asking what I have been doing with myself. I found a creative, way to express myself, my emotions and the symbols that represent my experiences. My art work allows me to reflect, providing a therapeutic outlet and allows me to remain indoors; I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it. Your friend, George Zimmerman.”
The painting itself seems to be trying to show some level of patriotism but ultimately just strikes the eye as being really, really blue. Newscorpse.com has also gone so far as to call the "original" work, a copy, demonstrating that it could be a cold coloured copy of a Shutterstock picture.
As if having this piece of... art, in their house, the winning bidder number 96 (that's right, 96 people actually wanted this thing) will be having the painting hand delivered by Zimmerman himself, who has promised to bring the parcel in person.
Because what better way to start the new year than with a visit from a trigger happy "artist"!?
The sum that the painting has gone for is amazing given that works by legitimate artists such as Vincent Van Gogh have been sold for less money than that.
Yet, infamy is something that makes art by certain people, desirable to collectors. For example, Adolf Hitler was a total bastard, yet his drawings demand huge amounts at auction, with an individual work going for $42,200 and a collection of 15 for $100,000.
Considering the number of people who are aware of Hitler in comparison with the number who know Zimmerman, the price his painting fetched is astounding.
Comparing Zimmerman to Hitler is maybe taking it a bit far. But all I can say is that I really hope that person bought the painting with the intention of destroying it. Just because you have a paintbrush, doesn't make you a good artist. It can, however, make you very rich.
Gemma Clark
