By Darren Parkin
The man dubbed “Britain’s most dangerous prisoner” is about to have his artwork sold as a series of NFT collectibles.
Charles Bronson, who has spent 45 years behind bars, recently collaborated with Born Again Art and Crypto Correct to create the ‘Stay Sane’ NFT collection.
The 70-year-old inmate is no stranger to art, having received numerous awards for his works which often sell for thousands.
The career convict even changed his name by deed poll to Charles Salvador in 2014 as a tribute to Salvador Dali – his favourite artist.
The Stay Sane NFT (non-fungible token) collection will be launched as a pre-sale on Thursday February 23, then as a public sale on Sunday February 26.
To celebrate the launch, Henarch Galleries and Crypto Correct are hosting a VIP exhibition this Thursday at Henarch’s gallery at The Metal Box Factory in Great Guildford Street where guests can purchase artwork.
The collection is comprised of rare and unseen pieces of Charles Salvador’s art, along with singular 3D pieces that include a combination of poems, interviews, and personal writing from decades of solitary confinement.
The collection will also be available for purchase at https://www.charlessalvadorbronson.com/ and will be exhibited on NFT marketplace OpenSea.
Born Michael Gordon Peterson, ‘Bronson’ was first jailed in 1974 for armed robbery at the age of 22 and subsequently imprisoned again for robbery after just 69 days of freedom. He would be released once more in 1992.
This time, his life outside lasted only 53 days when he was arrested for conspiracy to rob. An eight year sentence became continually extended owing to violent behaviour and various kidnappings.
It was while at the notorious Wakefield Prison in West Yorkshire when he took up art after being encouraged by two prison officers who were impressed by his cartoon drawings.
Remarkably, the Luton-born prisoner has had 11 books of poetry and artwork published, attracting numerous awards.
In 2014, he sold a collection of artworks to raise thousands of pounds to send his mother on a holiday after discovering she had been upset to learn of his attack on 12 prison guards at HMP Woodhill. Two years later, he auctioned off another piece to pay towards treatment of a child with cerebral palsy.
Since 1994, Bronson has dedicated himself to producing thousands of paintings, doodles, caricatures, and other works for charitable foundations with art depicting his daily life in prison and the violence, brutality, and madness he has witnessed and experienced in the prison system throughout his life.
“I am going to do my art and create masterpieces until my heart stops beating,” he explained.
“I want to be one of the greatest artists. I am an artist, a man of peace.”
A third of all funds raised through the sale of the Stay Sane NFT collection will go towards the Born for Art Foundation – a charity that provides art supplies, equipment, and resources to young people in need across the United Kingdom.
About Crypto Correct Limited
Founded in 2020 by CEO Oliver Hammond, Crypto Correct is a company that specialises in providing hardware solutions for crypto mining. The company’s mission is to make complex technological units more accessible to the masses by enabling individuals to mine cryptocurrency efficiently.
The company is also working with Richard Booth from Born Again Art Limited on the Charles Salvador ‘Bronson’ NFT Collection. This is the first NFT collection of its type, ever in history which will leverage the company’s expertise in blockchain technology to bring this exciting project to fruition.
Crypto Correct is working closely with Born Again Art to explore new ways of utilising blockchain technology to support offenders’ rehabilitation through digital art. Born Again Art aims to delve deeper into rehabilitated offenders’ artistic talents by creating and selling unique, one-of-a-kind digital artworks in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This is an optional route for the offenders, and the goal is to support their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
About Henarch Galleries
Henarch Galleries is a well-established private art gallery based in London, UK, specialising in collections of contemporary artworks by emerging talent and blue-chip artists from around the globe. Its art curators and consultants work closely with their clients to provide them with the knowledge, information, and history of the artwork they need, either from an investment perspective or as a collector.
Follow The Stay Sane Project on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/bronsonnftt
Follow The Stay Sane Project on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bronson.nft/
Join The Stay Sane Project’s Discord community at: https://discord.gg/6pGwhYKFwq
Purchase NFT’s on Mint Day at: https://www.charlessalvadorbronson.com/
Check out Crypto Correct the Holdco behind the project : https://cryptocorrect.co.uk/our-companies/
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