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Lois Anvidalfarei Testa (Bruno), 2019
bronze
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Francesco Hayez Study of a Head Severed from the Torso, 1865
Oil on canvas
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Simon Fujiwara Marie Antoinette Head, 2019
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Charles Krafft Yukio Mishima Severed Head, 2016
Delft Blue style hand painted porcelain
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Gabrio Stenico Mishima’s Head, 2012
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GaiaDru_id Yukio Mishima, 2017
Pearl in the mouth symbolizes the immortal literary heritage of the writer.
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Jusepe De Ribera, called Spagnoletto THE SEVERED HEAD OF SAINT JANUARIUS, 1636
‘Curiously enough, Ribera met with the same gruesome fate: he was decapitated, together with his elder brother Diomede, for having attempted to assassinate Masaniello during the 1647 revolt.’
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Cady Noland Chainsaw Cut Cowboy Head, 1990
Silkscreen on aluminum with rope, roll of tape, and cigarette box
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Fred Tomaselli Cyclopticon 2, 2003
mixed media, acrylic paint, pharmaceutical drugs, resin on wood
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Jaume Plensa Various, 2015-19
Julia, 2018
Love, 2019
Isabella, 2015
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David Lynch Severed Head with Turkey, Cheese and Ants, 1991
‘Filmmaker and artist David Lynch had some help making this food sculpture artwork in 1991—from ants. He began by forming a small ball of cheese and turkey, which he then cased in clay and mounted on a tiny coat hanger. Through an opening in the mouth he exposed some turkey in the sculpture’s eyes and ears. Subsequently, the ants climbed up the coat hanger and into the head. Within the next four days, the ants had emptied the entire sculpture of turkey and cheese.’
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Sean-Zilla Productions Ultraman DECAPITATION!, 2018
‘Behold! Ultraman Jack’s and Ultraman Ace’s decapitation count with a soundbite included. yay. Also, stay tuned for the ultimate decapitation at the end.’
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Theodore Gericault Severed Heads, 1819
‘ Guillotine heads by Gericault’s show a cruel description of decay and death. On the left side is the female head which has closed eyes and bright white skin, while on the right is the male head with open mouth and open eyes which look at the viewer freely. Serrated, rough spots on the neck illustrate the cruel and torturous death these characters have agonized at the guillotine.’
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Henry Moore Baby’s Head, 1926
Cast concrete
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The Clink Prison Museum Severed Heads, 2010
‘Torture was a prominent feature of life at the Clink and forms a key attraction in the current museum. Barely legible are the words ‘Torture Chamber’ daubed in fake blood over a lintel of the museum’s inner sanctum. Here, man’s inhumanity towards man becomes a hands-on tourist exhibit. The cast of ingenious severed heads is large, cruel and inventive.’
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Kehinde Wiley Judith and Holofernes, 2012
‘Wiley’s “Judith and Holofernes” is one of two Wiley oil paintings depicting a fashionable black woman holding the severed head of a white woman, embedded in the vibrant floral heraldry that famously suffuses his portraits, including that of Obama.’
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Ana Maria Pacheco Study of Head (John the Baptist III), 1992
Polychrome painted wood
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Steve Locke There is no one else left to blame, 2014
‘The paintings evoke historical traumas such as the beheadings of the French Revolution, or the lynching of African Americans, as well as reference the more current anxieties of the last decade: terrorism, war, and torture.’
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Huma Bhabha Open Door, 2021
Clay, plaster, wood, acrylic, wire, jute
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Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys A FOPS 3, 2018
plaster, paint, mixed media
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Jacopo Ligozzi A memento mori of a decapitated head on a book, 1728
oil on canvas
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Paul McCarthy White Head, 2007
Inflatable
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Andreas Dettloff Crâne momifié māori, 1993.
Technique mixte
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Jani Leinonen The Execution of Ronald McDonald, 2010
‘On January 31, 2010, four men calling themselves the Food Liberation Army barged into a Ronald McDonald restaurant in central Helsinki and removed a Ronald statue from it. McDonald’s received a “ransom demand”, The demand was broadcast on YouTube asking Mcdonalds’ to answer questions about the sourcing of their food and their ethical stance. McDonalds refused to negotiate with terrorists and Ronald was executed by guillotine. Тhe Food Liberation Army stunt gave people an impression of activism, which was Finnish artist Jani Leinonen’s primary objective. Unfortunately, the cover was blown when the cops threw the organizer to prison, and the press found about it.’
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Paul Gauguin The Royal End, 1892
‘The Royal End (French: La Fin royale) is a painting on coarse cloth by the French artist Paul Gauguin, created in 1892 during the painter’s first visit to Tahiti. It depicts a man’s severed head on a pillow, displayed before mourners. A curator for the J. Paul Getty Museum suggested Gauguin likely painted the canvas “to shock Parisians” upon his expected return to the city.’
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Unknown Masayume, 2021
‘A hot air balloon in the form of a giant human head was seen flying in Tokyo on Friday, astonishing residents and visitors of the city, who stared at the strange scene, which seemed to be a piece of art by a surrealist painter, according to Japanese media reported. The piece called “Masayume”, which was inspired by a dream that an artist had when they were in middle school. The balloon suddenly appeared in the sky and shocked many people, while others expressed admiration for the innovation. “We were upset about the project being unveiled in the midst of the pandemic, but we hope that by seeing the face of a stranger, it will reflect on the meaning of human coexistence,” said Kenji Minamikawa, 41.’
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Nina Levy Various, 2000-2011
Resin, auto paint, steel, monofilament
Self Same, 2000
Toss, 2006
Family Resemblance, 2011
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Leon Golub Vietnamese Head, 1970
‘This visceral work by Leon Golub, painted at the height of the artist’s involvement in the anti-war movement, depicts the severed head of a Vietnamese man. As an artist and activist committed to social justice, Golub opposed both war and the human suffering that accompanied it, and he often depicted both the victims and perpetrators of state-sponsored violence.’
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Musée Testut-Latarjet Head of Henri Landru, guillotined, 1922
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Kara Walker Barack Obama as Othello ‘The Moor’ With the Severed Head of Iago in a New and Revised Ending by Kara E. Walker, 2019
Pastel, Conté crayon, charcoal on treated paper
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Unknown Various severed prop heads, 1998 – 2018
A Prop Severed Head from “Rambo 4”
Alice Cooper Severed Head Stage-Used Concert Prop
Kevin’s (Elijah Wood) Severed Head and Glasses from SIN CITY (2005)
Female severed prop head from Rob Zombie’s “Halloween”
King Leonidas’ hero severed head from 300: Rise of an Empire
Traci Lords ‘Heidi’ prop severed head from “Skinner”
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Joel-Peter Witkin Le Baiser, New Mexico, 1982
Photograph, Silver print
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Marc Quinn Self, 2012
A visceral sculpture made of nine pints of the artist’s frozen blood.
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Frank Morris Effigies, 1962
‘These are the effigies that, placed on the cushions to deceive the guards, allowed Frank Morris, together with John and Clarence Anglin, to famously escape from Alcatraz (the fourth accomplice, Allen West, remained behind). Sculpted with soap, toothpaste, toilet paper and cement powder, and decorated with hair collected at the prison’s barbershop, these fake heads are the only remaining memory of the three inmates who managed to escape from the maximum security prison — along with their mug shots.’
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Simone Rovellini Exploding Actresses, 2013
‘YouTuber Simone Rovellini does a damned good job at making this mess look real. Lots of folks are puzzled at how Rovellini fills in the background where the “missing” head is supposed to be. Rovellini simply replied, “It is all made in After Effects.”’
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Adel Abdessemed God is Design, 2006
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Horiyoshi III Various, 2009-2017
Sickled, 2017
Namakubi in Winter, 2010
Namakubi, 2009
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p.s. Hey. ** Dominick, Hi!!! I often wonder the very same thing about our love fest’s looky-loos. I hope your fever was a super quickie and that your weekend wasn’t just about recovery. Ha ha, what a tasteful love, thank you! Love texting you that he has a gift for you and then knocking on your door whereupon you open it and there he is holding the one severed head you have always dreamed of having, and it belongs (belonged) to … ?, G. ** David Ehrenstein, Yay Umberto Lenzi! ** David, Yikes. One time I was in London to do a reading, and I was walking back to the flat where I was staying in Highgate one night, and these very drunken boys who were upset because England lost the World Cup or something suddenly knocked me to the ground and kicked me repeatedly in my head with their boots and then walked off laughing, but I was strangely okay-ish afterwards. I did like it (your joke, not being head-kicked). Yip, yip about your new laptop! ** wolf, Hi, wolfie! That’s because you didn’t come to Paris and get totally seduced again by my Paris romanticism spiel. Mm, no, I’m still okay with the US as a, like, home or second home. But if I was stuck there, that would definitely make a difference. So happy you’re loving the Joy Williams! Yes, her writing, her sentences are top of the line. The best, maybe. Yay! Push comes to shove, I think it’s true: there’s nothing like what language can do when it’s gripped in that particular tight yet loose way. Love, me! ** Steve Erickson, Okay, so I don’t need to pass along your message to Bill, correct? Congrats for sorting that. Everyone, Mr, Erickson has reviewed that new ‘Scream’ movie, and his review’s headline says it ‘falls flat’. Find out why. Oh, it’s kind of impossible to tell what’s gaming and what’s real with the escorts. Probably a mixture, I guess? I don’t know ‘Paul Takes …’ unless I’m spacing. I’ll go find out. Big ixnay from me on reading that Hanya Yanagihara book. Life’s too short or too … something. ** Bill, Hi. Well, you could fuck the shit out of him and then stiff him, but I guess you’d have to tie him up and maybe wear a mask to prevent retaliation? I wonder if France’s decision not to scale back despite Omicron is going to end up seeming like a wise decision or not? ** _Black_Acrylic, Oh, right, he was the only Brit. I would say most of the monthly slaves are Brits, or either Brits or Germans, but you don’t know that since I don’t note their locales. I think I saw that Leeds won some match yesterday or something. Are you happy? ** T, I too am charmed by artist/escorts. If I find one, I almost always find some way to get him in the posts. I’ve had some friends who were escorts, and I think all of them were artists, but they didn’t list that talent among their rentable qualities. Shit about your weekend-long shit mood. I hope it’s increasingly ancient history. My weekend was okay, no big. I hung out with some new friends of mine, and … almost nothing else of note. If my week did what you suggest, I think it would work, even though I’m not straight. I hope your week does not behead you. xo. ** Shane, Hi, Shane. Well, since God does not exist, killing Him merely requires making a decision to kill Him, so I can kill Him, yes, but so can you. Great idea. ** Misanthrope, It does feel like there’s just been an avalanche of deaths lately, or I mean deaths of the especially undeserving. David’s predictability is becoming grimly predictable. I heard about all that snow you guys got. Fuckers. ** Brian, I liked him too. Oh, I’m just weird. Most people who read fiction and have excellent brains and tastes remain very interested in plot and character development and all of that. I don’t know why I ended up being someone who reads fiction to either get my mind blown or learn techniques for possible use by me, or both. It’s a blessing and a curse. Purdy’s cool, for sure, and he cares about plot, etc., so there you go. Huh. I think the only classic as opposed to avant-garde opera I have ever seen live was The Ring Cycle a million years ago. That’s unfortunate about the new Coen film. I will see it. I’m always interested by what they, or, in this case, he do(es). I think there are only one for two Coens films I haven’t seen. That’s too bad. I’ll keep my hopes low. My weekend was pretty lowkey other than seeing some new friends for a bit, but it was fine. I predict gilded weeks ahead for us both. ** Okay. Today I’ve displayed a big bunch of severed heads, or, if you prefer, “severed” “heads” for you, and that’s the whole story. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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shite about you getting a kickin that time… or good if you liked it… this is the best post!! I’m loving these heads… I have a solid deathmask/concrete head of a guy called Franko B.. someone made a couple for him years ago and he gave me one… I also have lots of other bits and pieces he gave me… his blood…. sperm splashes etc…. my best pal Steve also used to do that kind of stuff… he’d be like oh ‘I’ve got public lice… ‘i’ll keep them in Sellotape…’ I gave him gifts of little dead birds I found back in the day… a crushed dead bird and some dead bird’s legs…
That Duffries Farmer documentary when the police man goes to the fridge and hears someone scream in the other room as he opens it.. then he realises it was himself screaming on seeing the severed heads etc in there…
Duffries Farmer????? WTF…. Jeff… I meant to say Jeff Dahmer… erm…
Joel Peter Witkin and the Luka Magnotta are my faves here today… on seeing them the woman in the flat across the way started screaming and banging the walls on my behalf… very loudly…
xx
Hi!!
Luckily, my fever didn’t have a long life, and though I do have some post-booster neck fuckery this time as well, it’s not nearly as bad as it was the last time, so… I decided not to complain too seriously about it, haha. It did not ruin my weekend anyway; I spent most of it reading Dennis Nilsen’s autobiography, “History of a Drowning Boy.” I enjoy it even more than Brian Masters’s “Killing for Company.” Have you read it?
Ah, your love’s such an attentive sweetheart! How did he know I’ve always dreamed of possessing David Lynch’s “Severed Head with Turkey, Cheese and Ants”? Thank you!! Love giving you Elijah Wood’s severed head and glasses from “SIN CITY” as a sign of his undying admiration, Od.
Severed Heads by Glauber Rochas, starring Pierre Clementi
Meanwhile, it’s MLK Day so
Tak e It Away Laura!
Ultraman fuck yeah, cool Kehinde Wiley too.
Dennis, I think the exploding actresses’ heads were the best. Really changes each scene, no? Hehehe. LiveLeak and other sites have good decapitation videos if you ever want to watch some. Thing that’s the worst about them is usually all the people cheering as people are getting their heads cut off.
Yah, I thought about you during that snow, I really did. That little bit we got yesterday is almost all gone. Temperature rose and it rained. Bleh.
David’s becoming boring, imo. It’s like dude, do something else or something original. Meh.
Gonna try and replace his front brakes and rotors in a bit. We’ll see how that goes. Then I’ll hit the gym. Then eat. And then maybe actually do something for me. Well, other than the gym and eating. 😀
Seeing some of the Japanese art reminded me that a transliteration for the result of a decapitation in Japanese is a ‘fresh neck’ rather than severed head or ‘headless corpse’ or whatever. Dunno what you wanna do with that, but mildly interesting to me at least that the focus is on the neck rather than the head. My absolute favourite today was the ULTRAMAN Decapitation video. Head (or not harhar) and shoulders above. I forgot that that come to bed trick was designed for straight guys, but hey, maybe there might be some limited 50% efficacy? Who knows. Thanks for wishing banishment of the weekend mood to the further realms of ancient history – for what is spoken as (in the UK at least) as the most depressing day of the year I was actually pretty chipper. What can I say, I’m just kinda contrary. Had the house to myself so played guitar super loud all morning, which helps. Hope Tuesday comes to you in the form of an effects pedal for your thoughts, xT
There’s a book by Julia Kristeva called The Severed Head that I’ve always liked the look of.
Nice looking Baby’s Head by Henry Moore, who’s from Leeds you know! Well Castleford, but that’s near enough. When I was a teenage student at Leeds Art College back in the 90s, the teachers had formed an artists group called Leeds United who all sang “Henry Moore, Henry Moore” like a football chant. That was the 90s and there was a lot of lad culture about at the time. Yes the real life Leeds United did indeed win a game yesterday, beating West Ham 3-2 and they were truly magnificent. It made me feel very happy and I’m impressed that news of the result had reached all the way to Paris.
A umm heady gallery today, Dennis. That ceramic Mishima head is hilarious. Was it a cookie jar or something? That’s one of my favorite Witkin photos.
I believe you had this in another gallery here a few years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EVALKzSGe8
Good to hear Steve made the nitroflare jump and is now scraping worldscinema.org! Certainly keeps me busy. My current worldscinema movie is Yoshihiko Matsui’s Noisy Requiem. Most of it looks gorgeous, but I wish I could make more of the vignettes.
Hope everyone is having a decent MLK day…
Bill
Hey, Dennis,
Decapitation is a tremendously fascinating…subject or motif or something to me, and today’s post offers all the variations my heart could desire—and then some. Amused but unsurprised at the popularity of Mishima for this material. It’s Witkin’s photo, though, that leaves the most haunting impression on my brain. No need for airquotes around those severed heads. That guy’s stuff is freaky. I don’t think your emphasis on mind blowing capacity/style excavation is weird at all—my reading has started to shift somewhat in that direction too, if slowly. If anything, I feel weirdly embarrassed by my attachment to plot, though that’s probably very silly. But, to be clear, I didn’t give up on that book because it lacked narrative (there was plenty); it was the author’s prose that I found unbearable: just obvious and smug and really hacky. But it’s behind me now, yay! Very jealous that you got to see the Ring Cycle. I really like what I’ve heard of Wagner. I need to explore avant-garde opera, too. My words re: Coen may have greatly undersold its virtues. It just didn’t work for me personally, but it might well work for you, of course. Still an impressive piece of work by any metric. And their work is always of note, as you state. New friends are always exciting. Today was an absolute nothing, except I showed my brother Sirk’s “Written on the Wind”, which we both loved. What’s your stance on Sirk if you’ve seen any? Always been weirdly compelled by Chantal Akerman’s assertion that Sirk and Bresson achieve the same effects through completely opposite means. Not sure if I agree, but it’s food for thought. A gilded week sounds like a great goal for us both. Here’s to it.