Marilyn Manson is known for many things: his music, his controversial persona and his artwork. He is less known for his painting, though, to which he has been devoting himself for many years, sometimes exclusively and over long periods of time and without making music. His watercolors are very emotional and gentle in a formal way, which stands in sharp contrast to the themes and motifs they deal with: grief, loss, despair, self-alienation enhanced by pain, but also self-discovery through agony.
The "Grey Daisy" was unveiled in Manson's first art exhibit, The Golden Age of Grotesque, held September of 2002 in Los Angeles
Manson sold several of his paintings the first night, notably the "Harlequin Jack and the Absinthe Bunny" which was purchased by Jack Osbourne. Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea picked up "Elizabeth Short as Snow White" and the "Grey Daisy" was acquired by a private collector.
Since his first show, Manson's paintings have become increasingly popular and highly desirable by contemporary art collectors around world. In 2007, Manson's original "Die Deutsche Kampferin" was purchased by a private collector for $105,000. Phillips du Pury & Company auction house sold one of Manson's originals in an auction late last year, yielding a realized price of nearly $50,000.00.
In a MTV news feature Manson had this to say about the Grey Daisy. "Someone said, 'why don't you ever paint something nice like a flower?' so I painted one, but I ended up using only the dirty water from another painting. If I wasn't me, I would probably want this one. The "Grey Daisy" was Manson's first "nice" painting.
In 2006, following the untimely death of legend Dimebag Darrell Abbott, curator Curse Mackey commissioned Marilyn Manson as well as over 50 other musicians to contribute custom hand-painted Dean ML guitars to create a touring art exhibition tentatively titled, Six String Masterpieces which toured alongside American music festivals Ozzfest and Family Values. Manson's contribution was a watercolor-esque stained Dean ML that paid homage to Manson's painting "Grey Daisy" painted in acrylics. This piece was sold at auction for $6,250.00 with the proceeds going to support the Little Kids Rock organization.
The "Grey Daisy" is widely recognized as one of Manson's most documented original artworks. This piece of contemporary art will certainly appeal not only to far reaching Marilyn Manson art fans, but to the contemporary art collectors as well.
The "Grey Daisy" is currently showcased in "The Gods 'n Metal Monsters Auction", which also features the personal collections Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Dio), Kip Winger (Winger), Scott Rockenfield (Queensryche), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri), Bobby Rondinelli (Black Sabbath, Aerosmith), John 5 (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson) and Walter O'Brien (Concrete Management, Co-Founder), just to name a few. "When we designed the hard rock and heavy metal themed auction, we really tried to build an event that was not only unique but give fans and collectors access to pieces of rock history that were equally rare and one of kind and we have definitely achieved that goal," says van Gool.
The auction will showcase over 500 exceptionally rare pieces of rock memorabilia, including over 50 gold and platinum records awards, an awesome selection of artist used guitars, stage props, drums, artist stage worn apparel, master recordings, rare concert posters and original photos, promo vinyl and loads more!
The entire auction catalog can be view online at Backstage Auctions. Bidding opens up on Sunday, October 31st and the auction will close on November 7th, 2020.
