Movement Outsider Art

The term 'Outsider Art' was coined by Professor Roger Cardinal in 1972, who wanted an English term for “Art Brut," a French term literally meaning “raw art." This movement was initially named by French artist, Jean Dubuffet, who sought to describe a genre of art that explored polarised mental states, unorthodox ideas and illusions. Outsider art incorporates works created by artists without formal training, and who reject traditional artistic techniques. It is also heavily associated with children, mentally troubled artists who suffer with psychiatric disorders, socially reclusive individuals and misfits. 


Jean Dubuffet was inspired by Prinzhorn's 1921 book Bildnerei de Geisteskranken (Artistry of the Mentally ill) which included thousands of artworks by mentally ill patients. This influenced Dubuffet to collect his own selection of mentally ill-inspired art, and unlike Prinhorn's book, Dubuffet's selection also included works by social hermits and outsiders; celebrating the individuals forgotten by society. 


The surge in interest for Outsider Art grew from an increasing resentment towards the art world and extreme political ideologies. Artists during this period experienced and watched the atrocity caused by the World Wars, where false promises for a “better" quality of life shrouded these years. Additionally, basic human rights were widely disregarded during the war years, with barbaric and catastrophic philosophies such as Eugenics coming into practice. Artists sought to redefine and celebrate the individuals otherwise disregarded by society, honouring their supposed flaws and differences. The Outsider artists created a new way of seeing the humans failed by the war years. 


There isn't a particular style associated with Outsider art,  other than often fantastical depictions created by artists without formal training. In addition to this, artists do not usually refer to themselves as “Outsider Artists," it is a label usually given to the artist posthumously.  


In contemporary art, Outsider art continues to be explored today with festivals like The Outsider Art Fair which is dedicated to the movement. The Outsider Art Fair is an international exhibition that features artists associated with Outsider Art, and occurs in New York and Paris each year. 


Adolf Wölfli:  (1864–1930), Swiss artist Wölfi, spent a large proportion of his adult life in a psychiatric hospital. It was during his institutionalisation that he created most of his drawings and musical compositions.  


Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet: (1901 –1985) French painter and sculptor, Dubuffet founded the Outsider Art movement and embraced unconventional aesthetics and “low" art. 


Scottie Wilson: (1888 – 1972), known for his intricately detailed works, Wilson is considered the spearhead of the Outsider Art movement during the 20th century. His works were collected by both Jean Dubuffet and Pablo Picasso.  


Auguste Forestier: French sculptor and artist, Forestier was also confined to a psychiatric hospital for a number of years.  


Celebrate the misfits marginalised by society, with their works that evoke a wonder only found in childhood. Explore our Outsider Art-inspired artists on Artsper now, through the works of  Hector Peper, Jazzu and Joi Murugavell.

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Painting, Protection sans filtre, Nep-

Nep-

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

£2,704

Painting, Philosophe perplexe, Raâk

Raâk

Painting - 9 x 11 x 5 cm Painting - 3.5 x 4.3 x 2 inch

£451

Painting, Untitled, Kokian

Kokian

Painting - 65 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

£622

Painting, Aires, Troy Henriksen

Troy Henriksen

Painting - 130 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 0.8 inch

£3,606

Painting, La mère et l'enfant, Kej

Kej

Painting - 61 x 50 x 5 cm Painting - 24 x 19.7 x 2 inch

£901

Painting, Monde, Jaber El Mahjoub

Jaber El Mahjoub

Painting - 71 x 55 x 0.5 cm Painting - 28 x 21.7 x 0.2 inch

£1,082

Painting, Sonson, Perrotte

Perrotte

Painting - 75 x 75 x 1.5 cm Painting - 29.5 x 29.5 x 0.6 inch

£3,516

Painting, Degenerate, Bao Hongyan

Bao Hongyan

Painting - 75 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 29.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

£721

Painting, Amani, NATU

NATU

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

£3,606

Painting, Nasty, Cumbone

Cumbone

Painting - 140 x 100 x 0.5 cm Painting - 55.1 x 39.4 x 0.2 inch

£2,704

Painting, Oiseau Vert, Corneille

Corneille

Painting - 53 x 72 x 3 cm Painting - 20.9 x 28.3 x 1.2 inch

£2,885

Painting, Sans titre, Adam Nidzgorski

Adam Nidzgorski

Painting - 29 x 20 x 0.5 cm Painting - 11.4 x 7.9 x 0.2 inch

£631

Painting, Moon Light, Adrien Lombardo

Adrien Lombardo

Painting - 40 x 30 x 0.5 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.2 inch

£496

Painting, Double regard, SP

SP

Painting - 55 x 38 x 1 cm Painting - 21.7 x 15 x 0.4 inch

£599

Painting, Untitled, Ethan Newman

Ethan Newman

Painting - 61 x 45.7 x 0.3 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 0.1 inch

£580

Painting, Canvas 18, Frantisek Florian

Frantisek Florian

Painting - 100.1 x 100.1 x 3.8 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.5 inch

£1,173

Painting, Illusion, Ziv Lahat

Ziv Lahat

Painting - 20 x 15 x 3 cm Painting - 7.9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inch

£631

Painting, Selfie 4, MissMe

MissMe

Painting - 58 x 50 x 1 cm Painting - 22.8 x 19.7 x 0.4 inch

£2,254

Painting, Reef Dive, Jill English

Jill English

Painting - 101.6 x 152.4 x 0.8 cm Painting - 40 x 60 x 0.3 inch

£1,025

Painting, Portrait 8, FeiWoux Chan

FeiWoux Chan

Painting - 46 x 38 x 3 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 1.2 inch

£1,082

Painting, Heros ou Zero, Michadu

Michadu

Painting - 80 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1 inch

£766

Painting, Face2 - Zippo, Max Ruela

Max Ruela

Painting - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch

£586

Painting, Masque, Charles Lapicque

Charles Lapicque

Painting - 83 x 54 x 0.2 cm Painting - 32.7 x 21.3 x 0.1 inch

£8,113

Painting, Kakorrhaphiaphobia, Maïcha

Maïcha

Painting - 80 x 120 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 47.2 x 0.8 inch

£1,803

Painting, Sans-titre, Pascal Doury

Pascal Doury

Painting - 114.5 x 10 x 1 cm Painting - 45.1 x 3.9 x 0.4 inch

£1,623

Painting, Untitled, Derek Aylward

Derek Aylward

Painting - 60.96 x 45.72 x 2.54 cm Painting - 24 x 18 x 1 inch

£6,575

Painting, Bestioles, Bault

Bault

Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

£3,245

Painting, Historia, Baptista Antunes

Baptista Antunes

Painting - 54 x 41 x 2 cm Painting - 21.3 x 16.1 x 0.8 inch

£2,254

Painting, Let's go to bed, Néo Pop

Néo Pop

Painting - 115 x 75 x 2 cm Painting - 45.3 x 29.5 x 0.8 inch

£451

Painting, Selva, Alex Lazard

Alex Lazard

Painting - 63 x 54 x 3 cm Painting - 24.8 x 21.3 x 1.2 inch

£2,073

Painting, Untitled, Rima Salamoun

Rima Salamoun

Painting - 60 x 60 x 4 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.6 inch

£2,254

Painting, Deux clowns, Pierre Jacquot

Pierre Jacquot

Painting - 60 x 73 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 28.7 x 1.2 inch

£1,262

Painting, Untitled, Matija Bobicic

Matija Bobicic

Painting - 73.66 x 58.42 x 2 cm Painting - 29 x 23 x 0.8 inch

£3,250

Painting, Untitled, Fanfan Romain

Fanfan Romain

Painting - 60 x 50 cm Painting - 23.6 x 19.7 inch

£1,172

Painting, A priori, Jacques Yankel

Jacques Yankel

Painting - 73 x 93 x 5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.6 x 2 inch

£4,417