7 Haunted Paintings

Feature image: Remedios Varo, El Flautista, 1955. Courtesy Museo de Arte Moderno

From the beginning of our childhoods, we tell scary stories. Many of us grew up on “Goosebumps” and Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” Each Halloween season, we gather around the TV to watch our favorite horror films, weave our way through haunted corn mazes, and generally just have a good scary time. This year, add a dash of artsy flavor to your haunted revelries with this list of cursed paintings. Dim the lights, grab a flashlight, and enjoy!

When Edvard Munch was five, his mother died from tuberculosis—just ten years later, his sister succumbed to the same illness. These events may be the inspiration behind his work Death and the Child. Four iterations of this work exist, but all of them feature a small girl standing, looking out at the viewer with her hands pressed to either side of her head. Behind the girl lies her mother, still and pale in bed. Many viewers of this work have experienced the young girl's petrified eyes following them around the room. Others have heard the soft rustling sound of the shifting bed sheets. Owners of the work have reported the girl disappearing entirely from the canvas. Munch is known for painting highly emotive works; perhaps this particular subject, with its tragic and very personal ties, displays the imprint of Munch's own trauma and suffering.

This work featuring two polar bears tearing at the remains of a shipwreck is the subject of a curious urban myth. The work resides at Royal Holloway College, and according to myth, a student attending the college fell into a trance-like state after staring into the polar bear's eyes. The student was so overcome by the work that they committed suicide during exams in front of the painting by stabbing a pencil into their eye. They left behind a note on their exam that said, “The polar bears made me do it.” While there is no university record of this death, students believe that anyone sitting in front of this work during exams will fail. This has led to the tradition of covering the painting during exams to keep students focused on their studies.

According to legend, this portrait is a depiction of Juan Luna’s wife, Paz Pardo de Tavera. Luna and Tavera were married in 1886. While Luna was said to have been very fond of his wife, six years after their wedding, in a fit of jealous rage over a suspected affair, Luna shot his wife through a closed door. The shooting also killed Tavera’s mother and wounded her brother, both of whom were present at the scene. The portrait of his wife is said to be possessed by the spirit of Tavera, who brings misfortune to those who own it. Past owners of the work have died in car crashes, been forced into bankruptcy, and experienced miscarriages. The work was once part of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in 1987. On its opening night, all of the other works were brightly lit—except for the bulb over Mi Novia, which exploded, shrouding the work in darkness.

Arshile Gorky had a rather tragic life. In a short time, he lost his studio to a fire, was diagnosed with colon cancer, discovered his wife was having an affair, and broke his neck and arm in a car accident. Many of Gorky’s abstract works reflect the emotional turmoil and pain that Gorky suffered in his life. A slew of his works created between 1904 and 1938 are said to be cursed. These works have a history of mysteriously falling from walls or catching fire. Those who have worked closely with his pieces have also reported seeing a black-haired ghost in a blue overcoat while visiting the works. Most tragic of all, however, was the incident that occurred on March 1, 1962. On this day, a flight carrying 87 passengers, eight crew members, and 15 artworks of Gorky crashed into a swamp just two minutes after takeoff. The crash killed all on board and destroyed the paintings.

The Hands Resist Him is an eerie painting all by itself. A young boy stares out at the viewer with a serious and grave expression. Next to him is what appears to be a life-sized doll holding an unidentifiable object. Behind them is a large glass paneled door, where disembodied hands reach towards the child and doll. The work first went on display in 1974 at the Feingarten Gallery in California, where it was reviewed by the art critic Henry Seldis and subsequently purchased by John Marley. Just a few years after the purchase was made the Gallery owner died, Henry Seldis died, and then John Marley died. After this, the painting seemingly disappeared and wasn’t seen again until 2000, when it emerged for sale on eBay. The owners of the work reported that it was haunted and claimed that the boy and doll in the work would fight with each other and that sometimes the boy would disappear from the work entirely. 

Love Letters features a sweet little girl with blonde curly hair and rosy cheeks. She wears a white dress with a blue ribbon, and is holding a small bouquet of flowers in one hand and a love letter in the other. This work is said to be haunted by a U.S. senator’s daughter named Samantha Houston. Samantha was just four years old when she tripped and fell to her death down a flight of stairs at the Driskill Hotel, where this painting was hanging. It's said that Samantha looked strikingly similar to the young girl in King’s painting. Since her death, those staying at the hotel have reported that the expressions of the girl in the painting often change. Others have also reported feeling dizzy, nauseous, or feeling like they are falling when looking at the painting.

When creating this work, Svetlana Telets said she had a clear vision of the painting and felt like someone was controlling her hand while she worked on it. The painting features a pale, thin-faced woman wearing all black. The brim of her hat extends out, and the image is covered in wispy clouds that float lazily across the work. Multiple people have bought the work, only to return it after feeling a figure following them in their homes and dreams. One owner of the work shared that white eyes began to appear everywhere he looked. The work was eventually purchased again by the musician Sergei Skachkov, but reports say that it was removed and hidden by his wife after she witnessed a ghostly figure wandering their apartment at night. 

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