Author’s Note
Modern Villains is a painting I completed in March 2024 during the failure of Trump’s indictments to gain traction as an outlet for political frustration. I have witnessed, and been impacted, by the advancement of right-wing politics, the symptoms of late-stage capitalism, the culture wars of fundamentalist religions, and the slow but steady rise of fascism around the globe. I know that I am not alone worrying about these developments, feeling powerless to act, and disappointed by my neighbors. “Know thy enemy” is my coping mechanism when I feel powerless, so I can be a bit of a research nerd. The result of my years of preferring nonfiction and frustration of current events is Modern Villains, 155 influential figures in the story of how we got to the world we live in today.
Firstly, I am not a historian and the figures who made it into the final painting are my subjective choices. Villain is a term used to be eye-catching and memorable, but is too opaque to truly describe these characters. There is no easy formula; I expect each individual viewer to have figures who they believe don’t belong as well as figures they believe are missing. I am only an individual and am impacted by my biases (secular, midwestern, female, gen z, progressive, post-graduate educated) so please keep that in mind. How do your own biases impact your reaction to the piece?
Yes, there are zero women in the painting; this was a conscious decision. How does that make you feel? I want people to note their reactions to seeing no women, it is a unique takeaway for each viewer. If you are curious to my own reasoning, it mostly had to do with the theme of Dante’s Inferno, the rings leading down to hell; as an artist I would choose a different analogy for villainous women such as Sisyphus or Tantalus; also I do want the viewer to think about what their absence means for them personally. Take with that what you will!
The Modern Villains Addendum dives into the figures featured in the painting, analyzing their biographies, industries, shared jobs, and connections to each other. The further you explore down the page, the more details you can find. You can use the Table of Contents to navigate. At the end of the Addendum you can see the full datasets used as well as filter and sort however you choose. Email me at annasibley1999@gmail.com if you have any comments or questions, and thank you for viewing my work
Anna Sibley
Modern
Villains
Table of Contents
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Who Are These People?
Modern Villains Map
Who are all these people? Why are they villainous? Use the map below to explore the figures on the painting. Some questions to ask yourself are who do you recognize? Are you familiar with their work?
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What Do These People Do?
Explore by Industry
What industries are represented in Modern Villains? Use the network map below to explore the industries these figures are involved in.
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How Powerful Are These People?
Explore by Role
The infamous figures in Modern Villains have occupied many powerful roles and worked together to negatively impact society today. What roles have had the most influence? What positions can powerful villains hold today?
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What Do These People Have In Common?
Modern Villains Dashboard
The following dashboard shows a summary of the demographics of the figures represented in Modern Villains. Do you notice anything these people have in common?
How Are These People Connected?
Image Gallery
It is impossible to map all of the connections these individuals, and the institutions they represent, have to one another. As an individual I lack the capacity, but also things are always changing and these individuals aren’t known for their transparency. In lieu of this is the Image Gallery, a collection of some of the most publicized images featuring collections of villains photographed together. While not a complete picture, exploring the image gallery can help paint a picture of the web of destruction these individuals have concocted. Don’t know where to start? Try using the search bar to find a villain who interests you.
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Bibliography
Since its completion, Modern Villains almost instantly became outdated; the world moves too fast for my hands to modge-podge, and many many infamous figures since Trump’s election in late 2024 are missing. I may add folks someday, but first I think I’ll (we’ll) need to whether the current storm…
View all villains
View the entire Modern Villains dataset and utilize features such as filter and sort to complete your own investigation
View All Images
View all images in the Image Gallery and utilize features such as filter and sort to complete your own investigation.