Leo Martínez
The Crying Boy is a mass-produced print of a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin (or Bragolini), which was widely distributed from the 1950s onwards. The painting depicts a young boy with tears falling from his eyes. In the 1980s, the phenomenon of 'The Crying Boy' gripped the UK, with numerous reports of houses being destroyed by fires, while prints of the painting remained untouched by the flames. This sparked widespread belief in a curse associated with the painting, with some even claiming that the painting had caused the death of their relatives.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Painting | The Crying Boy |
| Painter | Giovanni Bragolin (pen name of Bruno Amarillo/[Amedeo]) |
| Year of Painting | 1950s |
| Subject | A tearful young boy |
| Other Versions | Portraits of tearful young girls |
| Curse | Houses with the painting burned down, but the painting remained intact |
| Newspaper Article | "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy" published by The Sun in 1985 |
| Number of Copies Sold | More than 50,000 |
| Number of "Crying Boy" Fires | More than 50 since 1973 |
| Destruction of Paintings | The Sun organised bonfires of the paintings sent in by readers |
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What You'll Learn
- The Crying Boy print was frequently found undamaged in burned houses
- The Sun newspaper's 1985 article about the painting's curse
- The artist Giovanni Bragolin, also known as Bruno Amarillo
- The legend of Don Bonillo, the orphan boy who accidentally started a fire
- Attempts to burn the prints were unsuccessful, according to some reports
The Crying Boy print was frequently found undamaged in burned houses
The Crying Boy is a mass-produced print of a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin (1911–1981). This was the pen name of the painter Bruno Amarillo. It was widely distributed from the 1950s onwards. There are numerous alternative versions, all portraits of tearful young boys or girls.
In September 1985, the phenomenon of The Crying Boy entered the public domain when a Yorkshire fireman, Peter Hall, claimed that fire brigades across the north of England had found examples of the same picture remaining untouched in fires whose causes remained unknown. Hall spoke out after his brother, Ron Hall, bought a copy of "The Crying Boy" to disprove the jinx, only to find his home in South Yorkshire burnt down soon afterwards. The picture had been removed intact from the charred ruins, and Ron Hall destroyed it.
On 24 October 1985, the Godper family of Herringthorpe, South Yorkshire, lost their home to an unexplained fire. The "Crying Boy" picture displayed in their living room stayed unmarked while pictures on either side of it had been completely consumed by the flames. On 25 October 1985, in Merseyside, a pair of the paintings in a house belonging to the Amos family were found intact after a gas explosion destroyed the building. On 12 November 1985, a man in Gloucestershire returned home to find his own living room ablaze for reasons that firemen were unable to explain. A "Crying Boy" picture was found intact. In December 1985, a 67-year-old man in Avon died in a mysterious fire that swept through his house. A "Crying Boy" picture was found lying beside the body.
The Sun newspaper's story about the "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy" caused widespread belief in the painting's curse. People wrote in, claiming to be jinxed by the painting. Some claimed that the painting had caused the death of family members. Others reported that when they tried to burn the prints, the painting would not catch on fire. Restaurants with Crying Boy prints were burned to the ground. Eventually, the newspaper organised mass bonfires of the paintings, sent in by readers.
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The Sun newspaper's 1985 article about the painting's curse
On 5 September 1985, British tabloid The Sun published an article titled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy Picture!" The article featured a quote from a local fire station officer who claimed that prints of The Crying Boy, a mass-produced painting by Italian artist Giovanni Bragolin, were frequently found undamaged in burned houses across the UK.
The Sun's article sparked widespread belief in a curse associated with the painting. In the following weeks, the newspaper published several follow-up articles, including one titled "Crying Boy Curse Strikes Again," perpetuating the idea that the painting was haunted and jinxed. The public response was overwhelming, with hundreds of readers reaching out to share their own stories of bad luck and fires connected to the painting.
Amid the growing hysteria, The Sun offered a solution to its frightened readers: they requested that people send in their copies of the painting, promising to destroy them once and for all. The newspaper's offices were inundated with thousands of prints, which were eventually burned in a mass bonfire near the River Thames on Halloween 1985. This event, supervised by the Fire Brigade, was intended to dissolve the curse and bring relief to those who believed they were affected by it.
The legend of the Crying Boy persisted beyond this event, and even sparked fan clubs. The Sun's coverage played a significant role in spreading and perpetuating the belief in the curse, capturing the public imagination and contributing to the enduring legacy of this supernatural story.
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The artist Giovanni Bragolin, also known as Bruno Amarillo
The artist behind the infamous Crying Boy painting has long been shrouded in mystery, with various names being put forward as the creator of the artwork. One of the most prominent names associated with the painting is that of Giovanni Bragolin, also known as Bruno Amarillo. While Bragolin is often credited as the artist, there is some debate and uncertainty surrounding his existence.
Some sources claim that Giovanni Bragolin was an Italian painter, born in 1911 and passing away in 1981. This name is prominently featured as a signature on the Crying Boy prints. However, other reports contradict this information, asserting that no such painter exists in Italy. This discrepancy adds to the enigma surrounding the artist's identity.
Adding to the mystery, another name that has been put forward is Franchot Seville, a mysterious figure mentioned in a book of creepy stories called "Haunted Liverpool" published in 2000. According to this narrative, Seville painted a boy named Don Bonillo, who was an orphan living in Madrid. It was claimed that fires followed wherever the boy went, earning him the nickname "Diablo."
The legend of the Crying Boy painting and its supposed curse gained widespread attention in the 1980s, particularly in the United Kingdom. Numerous reports emerged of fires destroying homes, yet the prints of the Crying Boy remained strangely untouched by the flames. This fueled speculation and contributed to the painting's infamy.
The true identity of the artist and the veracity of the curse remain subjects of debate and fascination. While some dismiss the stories as media spectacles or urban legends, others continue to be intrigued by the mysterious nature of the artwork and its purported jinx. The enigma surrounding Giovanni Bragolin, also known as Bruno Amarillo, persists, leaving the true artist behind the Crying Boy painting veiled in uncertainty.
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The legend of Don Bonillo, the orphan boy who accidentally started a fire
The Crying Boy is a mass-produced print of a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin (the pen name of Bruno Amarillo). It was widely distributed from the 1950s onwards and featured a tearful young boy. The painting and its prints gained notoriety in the 1980s when several fires took place across the UK, with the painting reportedly being the only item to survive the flames unscathed.
One such incident involved Ron and May Hall, who lost their home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, to a fire. Everything was destroyed except for a print of The Crying Boy on their living room wall. Ron's brother, Peter, a firefighter, claimed to have witnessed similar occurrences in other fires.
The Sun newspaper published a story about the phenomenon in September 1985, titled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy." The article caused widespread panic, and people began to associate the painting with a curse. It was rumoured that the boy in the painting was an orphan named Don Bonillo, who accidentally started a fire that killed his parents in Spain. Don Bonillo was also linked to several other fires, including the painter's studio. He was said to have been adopted against the will of a priest and was allegedly abused by the painter. According to the legend, Don Bonillo met his end in the 1970s, consumed by fire in an explosion caused by a car accident.
While some people tried to dismiss the curse as a media spectacle, the stories had a significant impact. People became desperate to get rid of their copies of the painting, and The Sun even organised mass bonfires of the paintings sent in by readers. Despite the scepticism of some, the legend of Don Bonillo and the Crying Boy painting persists to this day.
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Attempts to burn the prints were unsuccessful, according to some reports
The Crying Boy is a mass-produced print of a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin, which was widely distributed from the 1950s onwards. The painting depicts a tearful young boy, and certain urban legends attribute a 'curse' to the painting.
In September 1985, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun published a story titled "Blazing Curse of the Crying Boy", reporting that undamaged copies of the painting were frequently found amidst the ruins of burned houses. The article described the experience of May and Ron Hall, whose Rotherham home was destroyed by fire. Although the whole house was destroyed, only one item remained intact: a print of The Crying Boy on their living room wall.
The Sun's article sparked widespread hysteria, with hundreds of readers reaching out to claim they too had been jinxed by the painting. Some people even claimed that the painting had caused the death of their family members. Several reports emerged of attempts to burn the prints, which were unsuccessful. One such report came from Ron Hall's brother, Peter, a firefighter, who claimed that his home had burned down after purchasing a copy of "The Crying Boy" to disprove the curse. The picture had been removed intact from the ruins, and Hall subsequently destroyed it.
Another report came from Gloucestershire, where a man named Malcolm Vaughan helped to destroy a neighbour's picture of "The Crying Boy". Soon afterward, he returned home to find his own living room ablaze, with only the "Crying Boy" picture remaining untouched by the flames.
These reports of unsuccessful attempts to burn the prints added to the mystique and infamy of the "Crying Boy" curse, fueling the urban legend that the painting was somehow impervious to fire.
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Frequently asked questions
The Crying Boy is a mass-produced print of a painting by Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin (1911–1981). This was the pen name of the painter Bruno Amarillo. It was widely distributed from the 1950s onwards. The painting depicts a tearful young boy. Certain urban legends attribute a 'curse' to the painting, claiming that it caused fires.
In September 1985, the British tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that undamaged copies of the painting were frequently found amidst the ruins of burned houses. People wrote in claiming to be jinxed by the painting. Some even claimed that their relatives died after they hung the painting in their homes.
With people desperate to get rid of their copies of the painting, the newspaper organised mass bonfires of the paintings, sent in by readers. On Halloween, newspaper staff burned more than 2,500 copies of the painting.
According to investigative journalist David Clarke, stories naming the child in the painting as Don Bonillo or Diablo did not emerge until 2000 in a book by Tom Slemen. He says that "there is absolutely no truth whatsoever to any of that." Firefighter Alan Wilkinson also asserted that the fires were not supernatural events and were a result of carelessness.
