Lot 1346
(King, Martin Luther Jr.) James Earl Ray. Original Painting by the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Titled "Escape from Brushy Mountain," Signed on the front and the back. The 12 x 16 inch painting shows Ray escaping over the prison wall as gunfire is directed at him from the wall turret. His prison number, 65477, is on the back of his blue uniform. Painted on canvas, the green grass of the prison yard is in front of the gray prison wall, and grass and a line of trees are beyond the wall; a large orange sun sets at top left and the firing from the turret is painted in red. His name is signed in full at lower right. Ray sent this painting to a woman in England, along with a June 9, 1986 letter of provenance typed on the bottom of a 1982 letter to Ray from the Board of Paroles in Nashville, explaining the factors against his parole. Ray signed "James E. Ray" and includes his prison number in the letter. On the back of the painting, Ray wrote the name of the painting, the date, the name and address of the prison, and signed his name as the artist.
After Dr. King's assassination April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, the largest manhunt in FBI history was launched, costing a million dollars. Ray fled abroad to Canada, England and Portugal. He was finally apprehended at London's Heathrow Airport on June 8, 1968. He pleaded guilty in March 1969 and was given a 99-year prison sentence. He soon recanted, to no avail. In 1977, Ray escaped from Brushy Mountain Prison in Tennessee; after three days on the lose, he was tracked down by bloodhounds. It is this escape that Ray painted and that is offered here. A unique item.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 8,000.
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| Realized $3,450 |
