When the United States secured the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner in December, it did not come without a price as she was traded for convicted Russian arm’s dealer Viktor Bout, who is known by the nickname “The Merchant of Death.” But since his return to Russia from prison in the United States, Bout has started a surprising new career as an artist.
This week, Viktor Bout unveiled an exhibition of his artworks at a gallery in Moscow, which the Associated Press features a “wide gamut of styles and subjects — from portraits of Soviet-era movie stars to warplanes to animals.” While most of the drawings are done in a realistic style, the AP reports that some of his pieces are done in a more abstract style, too.
During his exhibition on Tuesday, Bout explained that his work was inspired by his time in a United States prison.
“When you are surrounded by absolutely grey walls topped by barbed wire and when you don’t see the horizon for a long time, it’s hard,” Bout said Tuesday at his exhibition. “The deprivation of such visual stimuli was a challenge for me. Drawing helped me overcome all that.”
The subjects of some of Bout’s work include personal objects, photos, and a floor plan of his cell in the prison.
Bout spent over a decade in prison after he was convicted in 2011 on terrorism charges. Prosecutors say that he was ready to sell up to $20 million in weapons, though he has long maintained his innocence. Bout was not slated to be released from prison until 2029 but is now free after the controversial prisoner swap.
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