BEAUTY MEE EYE
Luc Natral
2024


Ernest Pierce Jr. was considered a mad genius. Battling mental illness and personal demons, he went in and out of prisons and asylums in the 1940s. His criminal record included assault charges against officers, citizens and guards. He also had a passion for drawing, which he actively practiced while in prison. As he was not allowed to use sharp objects, he collected pencils tips and scraps from the floor to make his own drawing materials. It could take him weeks to finish even a small piece. While serving a sentence at the Boston State Farm, his hidden collection of drawings was discovered and confiscated by a guard. Later that year, Pierce threw himself from a third-floor window.

In 2023, Luc Natral buys the collection of drawings and criminal files related to Pierce’s last incarceration from a former cop on Ebay.

29,7 x 21 cm
72 pages
100 exemplaires
20€