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David Eugene Dees (July 9, 1957 – May 31, 2020) was an American commercial artist and graphic designer, known for his digital art depicting conspiracy theories. He began creating this type of art around 2003 after seeing photos of 9/11 that were used by conspiracy theorists.

Prominent themes in his artwork include chemtrails, anti-vaccine activism, climate change denial, Holocaust denial, as well as the promotion of GMO conspiracy theories, 9/11 conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories regarding the danger of wireless devices, and the Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory. He was particularly drawn to the belief that Zionists control the media.

David Dees was the subject of the short documentary Do You See What I See?

Career

Dees was an illustrator for Sesame Street Magazine. He also did freelance work for Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, and other Disney book covers.

Reception

In 2017, the inclusion of one of Dees's illustrations in a German political textbook caused a controversy. The image, which depicted a Pac-Man-like character devouring Europe over the phrase "Rothschild bank", was widely described as anti-Semitic. The publisher of the textbook said that inclusion of the image was a "regrettable mistake" and halted printing. They also issued a replacement page for books that were already in circulation and promised to remove the image in the next edition.

Other images that Dees has created have been seen as anti-Semitic. They promote the Holocaust as fake. For example, he uses lines that Holocaust deniers use often, such as "Truth does not fear investigation." In one of his images he relies on the claim that the gas chambers at Auschwitz were used to kill lice, not people.

References

1. "David Dees Obituary - Medford, OR". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
2. "How a Sesame Street Illustrator Became the Truther Scene's Golden Boy". July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
3. Seitz, Dan. "David Dees: Conspiracy Theory Meets Art, Courtesy of the Internet". Uproxx. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
4. "How a Sesame Street Illustrator Became the Truther Scene's Golden Boy". July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
5. Davis, Ben (April 2, 2021). "How One Artist Became a Warrior for QAnon + 4 Great Art Essays Worth Reading From This March". Artnet News. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
6. Henne, B.G. (July 16, 2015). "Read This: One man's journey from Sesame Street to the heart of truther collage art". AV Club. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
7. "How a Sesame Street Illustrator Became the Truther Scene's Golden Boy". July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
8. Axelrod, Toby (January 26, 2017). "German schoolbook publisher apologizes for anti-Semitic illustration". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
9. Frohn, Philipp (January 26, 2017). "Wie es eine antisemitische Karikatur in deutsche Schulbücher geschafft hat". VICE (in German). Retrieved October 27, 2024.
10. ^ "David Dees: Conspiratorial Artist | ADL". www.adl.org. Retrieved November 22, 2024.

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• 1957 births
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• American graphic designers
• American cartoonists
• American conspiracy theorists
• American Holocaust deniers
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