We’ve all seen the recent mugshots of Hollywood starlets and aging leading men, but famous people have always broken the law. There are some classic mugs we’ve all seen, but there are also some forgotten gems. Some of these people went on to become upstanding citizens, even giving us the tools to maintain toned thighs into middle age! These black and white mugshots would look fantastic against an accent wall or in a hallway, and they would certainly be a conversation starter.
How To Frame
The first inclination is to frame with simple black contemporary wood or metal. But, depending on your tolerance level for kitsch, you could frame each mugshot with a different color, or for a bit of irony you can put them all in ornate baroque frames.
How To Display
You can line them up in a hallway or against an accent wall. While their uniform shape might lend itself to a symmetrical grouping, think about placing them haphazardly above your bed or in a library. Another idea is to scatter them through-out your home to give your place a little criminal edge.
Left to Right (1st Row)
Al Pacino, Joseph Stalin, Sue Ellen, George Carlin
Left to Right (2nd Row)
Bill Gates, Mick Jagger, Jane Fonda, James Brown
Left to Right (3rd Row)
Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Lee Harvey Oswald
Left to Right (4th Row)
David Bowie, Suzanne Somers, Steve McQueen, Prince
Images: 1: Al Pacino Girls Talkin Smack; 2: Joseph Stalin Wikipedia; 3: Sue Ellen (From Dallas) Ender By Nest; 4: George Carlin (Arrested for "The Seven Words You Can't Say on TV") CBS - New York; 5: Bill Gates Home Page Daily; 6: Mick Jagger Best Mugshot Ever; 7: Jane Fonda Jane Fonda.com; 8: James Brown Blue Sun 2600; 9: Frank Sinatra Oh No They Didn't ; 10: Jimi Hendrix Best Mugshot Ever; 11: Johnny Cash Vin Mag; 12: Lee Harvey Oswald Awesome Stories; 13: David Bowie The Smoking Gun; 14: Suzanne Somers Oh No They Didn't; 15: Steve McQueen Mugshotss; 16: Prince Raw Justice.
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i love this idea, and damn, bowie is gorgeous in his mug shot.
i love this idea!!
I always love that shot of Jane Fonda.
I have Prince's mugshot framed in my apt :)
I don't know. It seems like bad juju.
Having a picture of a psychopath who killed 50 million people on my wall? No, thank you.
No way in the world would I want Lee Harvey Oswald hanging in my house. And there are better ways to remember Johnny Cash.
In Boston's Liberty Hotel (which used to be the city's Charles Street Jail) there's a bar called Alibi that's decorated with old celebrity mug shots. Together with the preserved original cell bars, it's a pretty cool effect. There's a pic here: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/articles/solid_alibi/
It's been done! http://bit.ly/eFy4PE
Art Chantry created iconic poster art in Seattle in the 1990s. Among them, a poster of celebrity mugshots. http://www.philipsleingallery.com/
Who decided it would be cool to put Lee Harvey Oswald's pic and Joseph Stalin's pic in this post? An assassin of a president and a dictator responsible for over 50 million BRUTAL political murders? Classy. Stay classy AT.
some of them are ok, but stalin and oswald? no thank you!
prince looks hot in that picture, though!
OMG - My Ex looks like Oswald!
Yeah, could've benefited from some editing there. Im all for celebrity mugshots, but people who are dubbed "celebrities" because they've hurt or killed people probably shouldn't be honored on a wall. On a side note, Bowie is SO HOT. Yes please!
Frank Sinatra is looking pretty good too.
The title of the post is "classic celebrity mugshots make great art." Some of the mugshot are silly, some are sad, while others (like Stalin and Oswald) are meant to reflect a tragic time in history. The point of the post isn't to make lighthearted fun of celebrities. The point is to inspire others to see these photographs as genuine art that would force people to reflect upon the diverse nature of criminal behavior and the type of people who commit these crimes. To leave out the worst offenders would undermine the artistic purpose of the collection of photographs.
Hey you forgot Paul Newman's.
I like it!
I got them all right without looking, except Suzanne Sommers. She must have been a teenager in that photo.
Thank you, susmitchell. I was scrolling down the comments, seeing complaint after complaint about those two, and feeling like facepalming.
The title is "Classic celebrity mugshots make great art". Art. ART. Not "decor". Art is something meaningful, created with intent and understanding. If you don't get why Stalin and Oswald would be part of this array, fine, don't put the piece in your home. But don't whinge about it before you've even bothered to apply critical thinking.
Too bad Hitler did not have a mug shot. As a person who's grandparents still talk about losing siblings to Stalin's purges, I find the idea that someone would hang a picture of him over their sofa deeply disturbing. And, yes, sometimes art is supposed to disturb. But putting Stalin's pic (as well as Oswald) in the same category as a goofy pic of Bill Gates is really inappropriate.
I must agree with kitties.
how about how un-craggy Al Pacino was. Very nice, very nice. Not sure about Oswald and Stalin, but there have been a TON of celebrity arrests in the last 10 years. Black and white Charlie Sheen anyone? How about the infamous Lindsay Lohan? SO many options...
Yeah, I don't think you can count them as a celebrity if they are famous for being a serial murderer. ;) The others seem like a pretty cool idea for whoever is into that.
Rosie, I see your point, but there's a difference between a "celebrity" and someone who's notorious for only murder. The celebrity mugshot art could be a quirky conversation piece, but adding people whose name is only associated with murder is a whole different thing.
Now I'm really curious what some of these people were arrested for- Gates, sommers, Pacino.
didn't damien hirsch do this in the 90s with that child murderer?
I think i'd get tired of looking at anyone's face that much...but I don't really like portraits in general for that reason.
Though, Jimi hendrix is pretty damn cool.
lol @ bepsf!
Choices on who's mugshot was included in the article aside, how about some suggestions on *where* to get the photos? Or where to get them printed?
I think it's a great idea, but I'd love some suggestions about where to get the famous photos without getting tangled up in any copyrights issues. Also, the best place to get them printed for longevity, etc. on my wall would be a spectacular help.
My friend Rachel makes these in a pop-art style that would go great in any home.
http://www.hollywoodmostwanted.com/abouttheartist.shtml
"great art"? no. good feng shui? no. fun decor for a plastic surgeon's restroom? maybe...
This is not great art. :(
The Stalin photo is also in really poor taste.
I decided to have a photographer friend of mine take vintage looking mugshots of members of my family (including the dog and cats) to put on a wall of other vintage images... gonna have to figure out how to convince my son to grow his hair out for a pompadour:P no actual convicted murderers or felons on my walls.. but the cool effect is the same and funny too