European Outsiders – An Exhibition of Art Brut dedicated to Jean Dubuffet
October 9-November 15, 1986 curated by GÉRARD A. SCHREINER
The artistic work of Outsiders and the mentally ill has provoked interest since the beginning of the century. Among the first to investigate this art were the psychiatrists Dr. Marcel Reja, Dr. Walter Morgenthaler, and Dr. Hans Prinzhorn. In 1945, Jean Dubuffet undertook a project of fundamental importance, the assembly of a large group of artworks which eventually resulted in the creation of La Collection de lArt Brut, now permanently installed in Lausanne. Since 1945 the goal of this institution has not changed: to gather works of art which bear no connection to that seen in museums and galleries, but in which invention and creativity manifest themselves immediately and directly, without restraint. Among the creators of these works, some have been institutionalized. This holds true for Adolf Wölfli, Louis Soutter, Aloise Corbaz, Jeanne Tripier, Paul Goesch, and the artists from Gugging. Other artists have functioned marginally in the world and have, as so well stated by Michel Thevoz, escaped from formal education and cultural conditioning. They are originals -solitary and innocent. This group includes such Outsiders as Scottie Wilson, Alois Wey, Miguel Hernandez, Madge Gill, and Michel Nediar.
Selected from the collections of Gerard A. Schreiner, John L Notter and Samuel & Betsey Farber
