Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful,

for thou art not so

John Donne

This past week, I sat down with the notorious artist and author, Nico Claux. In our time together, we discussed his artistic journey, his current projects, and what he hopes to create in the future.

Justin: Nico, tell our readers briefly about your background.

Nico: In 1994, when I was 22 years old, I was arrested for murder in Paris, France. I had shot a person that I had contacted via a S/M dating service.

I had developed murder fantasies years before that. I was obsessed with death to the point of spending my entire teenage years hanging out in graveyards and breaking into crypts. The police found many human remains in my small apartment.

At the time of the murder I was working in a morgue, so when I was on trial, I told the psychiatrists who were evaluating me that the corpses I was stitching back up after the autopsies had given me the order to kill people. They wrote down on their reports that I was suffering from psychosis and that I was not fully legally responsible for my actions. I received a sentence of twelve years for that crime.

Justin: What were your first memories of art? What attracted you to it?

Nico: Before the crime, I was very drawn to the art of Joe Coleman. I had the poster that he did for the movie Henry : Portrait of a Serial Killer on a wall of my apartment. I had an art book by him.

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I also loved Japanese EroGuro [manga with strong torture and horror elements] and the paintings of Rembrandt [lesson in anatomy] and Goya. Keep in mind that it was the late 80s so I had to buy actual books to see that art, since there was no internet.

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by pictures that my dad had taken in the Thailand Hell gardens. They were showing statues of tortured souls in hell in very graphic ways. I was also drawn to medieval woodcuts showing Christian Hell. I had several art books on the subject.

Justin: Which artists and styles inspired you in your early work? Were you emulating a particular style?

Nico: Joe Coleman and the symbolists of the 19th century. Classic medieval paintings of Hell. Even Cannibal Corpse cover art. I wasn’t trying to emulate anyone in particular, but I loved extreme sexual violence in art. I still do.

Justin: Given your inspirations, was your art always on the dark side? You’ve become known for your serial killers. Have you always painted them?

Nico: My art has always been dark. When I was in prison, people who collect murderabilia would write me and ask if I ever painted, and I started painting graveyards. It just came naturally. I had photos of the Highgate cemetary in my cell so I was inspired by them. I also painted things that I had seen in the morgue, dead bodies, autopsies, etc. Collectors went nuts over them.

Justin: Tell me about creating art in a corrections facility. I’m not sure how it is in France, but in America, the items allowed in jails/prisons are restricted, and you can only use certain types of media to create art. Did you have difficulty getting materials?

Nico: I could access to acrylic and oil paint. I had an easel in my cell. People would send me copies of mugshot pics of serial killers and I would paint them. In max security there was a paint room with more equipment and space so I could paint on larger formats. We were about ten inmates who had access to that room and three of them were serial killers.

Justin: Was it during this period of incarceration that people began taking an interest in your art? How did your work get exposed to the public?

Nico: During the trial, some tabloids used the name Vampire of Paris to describe me, and after that I got letters from all over the world. I got letters from collectors of murderabilia, people in metal bands, goth chicks, tattoo artists, people into macabre stuff. Since I was painting serial killers, collectors wanted them on their walls. There was a few galleries that showed my art and later on there was TV shows about it. After I got out in 2002, I could physically go to art shows, be interviewed by TV etc, so my work became quite popular in those circles.

Justin: What medias are you using now? Any big plans for the future?

Nico: I mostly show and sell my art on my Facebook (Search Nico Claux) and Instagram. I also have a Website. I still do commissioned art, portraits and paintings of decomposed bodies. I also sell sex toys inspired by serial killers, true crime dioramas and Ouija boards with serial killer DNA in them (hair from Manson, fibers from clothing worn by killers etc.) I also have a YouTube that I will soon be using to show walking tours of graveyards and ossuaries.

Justin: Tell me about your books.

Nico: I released my biography, The Gospel of Blood. It received great reviews, people like its honesty and writing style. You can order it here. I am currently working on my own art book showing more than 300 paintings. Keep an eye on my social media and website to stay up-to-date on its release.

After the interview, Nico and I spoke, and we are looking forward to delving deeper into his artwork, his time spent excavating the Armin Meiwes mansion, and his impact on the murderabilia and art communities. Depending on what you, the fans, want this could be a podcast style interview or a video call interview. Please comment on what you would like to see, as we are both eager to explore the subject matter!