Haunted Famous Paintings: Creepy Canvases with Chilling Stories
October is the season for all things spooky—ghost stories, haunted houses, and eerie legends. But did you know that some famous paintings have their own haunted reputations? Across the world, there are works of art rumored to carry curses, bring bad luck, or even make viewers feel uneasy. Whether you believe in the paranormal or not, these stories add a haunting twist to art history.
1. The Crying Boy – Giovanni Bragolin
The Crying Boy by Giovanni Branolin
Perhaps one of the most infamous “cursed” paintings, The Crying Boy gained notoriety in the 1980s when reports surfaced of homes catching fire—yet the painting surviving unscathed in the ruins. While skeptics chalk it up to coincidence, believers say the work carries misfortune. Today, copies of the painting still send shivers down some collectors’ spines.
2. The Hands Resist Him – Bill Stoneham
The Hands Resist Him- Bill Stoneham
Dubbed “the most haunted painting in the world,” The Hands Resist Him shows a young boy standing beside a life-sized doll, with ghostly hands pressing against a glass door behind them. When it was first listed on eBay, the sellers claimed the figures moved at night and that people who viewed the painting experienced strange phenomena. Now it’s locked away, but the legend lives on.
3. Portrait of Bernardo de Gálvez – The Galvez Hotel, Galveston, Texas
Portrait of Bernardo de Galvez
Visitors to the Galvez Hotel report that the painted eyes of Bernardo de Gálvez seem to follow them. Some claim they’ve captured strange reflections in photographs of the work. Guests have even said they feel a heavy, watchful presence when walking by. Hotel staff encourage asking “permission” before taking a picture, just in case.
4. Love Letters – Richard King
Love Letters
Hanging in the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, Love Letters depicts a little girl holding flowers. Many guests have said the painting’s eyes follow them down the hallway, and some even feel an icy chill when passing by. The eeriness is amplified by the fact that the girl resembles the hotel owner’s daughter, who tragically died young.
I personally used to have a copy of this painting, that my aunt gave me. I had to get rid of it because I had so many people come over and tell me that, that picture gave them the creeps.
Why We Love These Stories…
Whether you’re a believer in the supernatural or not, haunted art stories add a delicious layer of mystery to the art world. They remind us that paintings aren’t just pigment on canvas—they carry history, emotion, and sometimes a touch of the unexplained.
So next time you visit a museum or gallery, take a closer look… you never know who—or what—might be staring back.
