The artworks belonged to Ronnie Kray and are among 150 lots from the estate of the East End gangster, who died in 1995, that are being sold by his second wife Kate. A spokesman for the auction house, who would not say who bought the items, said that it had been “a good night’s work” as only two items went unsold. Bronson, 61, whose real name is Michael Peterson, is serving a life sentence for robbery and kidnap and has earned public notoriety with a history of violence both inside and outside jail. In prison, he has taken hostages in sieges, been involved in violence and caused damage in rooftop protests. Humbert said: “Charles Bronson recently had a rumble with 12 prison guards. In a letter to Kate Kray, he states remorse at upsetting his mother and, accordingly, asked if some of his artwork could be included in the sale so as to generate funds to send his mother on holiday.
“The intimate and personal nature of these never-before seen Kray items and Bronson paintings show a real human side to these larger-than-life personalities and, though they are bound to polarise opinions, the lots, much like the individuals, are far from dull.” Ronnie Kray and twin brother Reggie, together with older brother Charlie, were infamous for their involvement running organised crime rackets in London’s East End and were both jailed for life in 1969 for the murders of fellow gangsters George Cornell and Jack “The Hat” McVitie. Among the paintings by Ronnie Kray which also went under the hammer were an image of Christ on his cross which sold for £880 and a watercolour of Ronnie in the boxing ring with his twin Reggie and Kate which sold for £1,000.