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CRYING CHILDREN, the black legend
_London _England _1985 September _A mysterious fire destroys a couple's home. Only a painting of a crying child was spared.
The Sun newspaper reported the event. Later, a fireman reported similar events, and very soon there were numerous accounts of the harmful influence of these paintings, attributing evil powers to them. A black legend was born, conveying the idea that misfortune would befall the owners of these representations.
These paintings are the work of Bruno Adamio. Marked by the Second World War, he produced this series depicting children in tears, which quickly met with great success. Reproduced and distributed on a large scale, particularly in the UK during the
1970s and 1980s, the paintings were collected together and burnt in a bonfire to ward off fate. Crying boy is the name given to this series of paintings.