The art of visionaries, folk creators, spiritualists, recluses, the 'mad' and the socially marginalized is no longer scorned and cannot be ignored. Among the first to value and collect such work was the French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-85). For those he judged to represent the 'purest form of creation' he coined the term Art Brut, literally 'raw art' - raw because it was 'uncooked' by culture, raw because it came directly from the psyche, art touched by a raw nerve. In Raw Creation John Maizels traces the history of the recognition and study of this art and examines the different theories and definitions that have grown up around it. He provides detailed expositions of the work of individual artists ranging from such Art Brut masters as Adolf Wolfli and Aloise Corbaz to such gifted American folk artists as Bill Traylor and Mose Tolliver. Devoting several chapters to large-scale visionary environments, he takes a broad international view embracing Rodia's towers in Watts, Los Angeles, the Palais Ideal in the south of France, and Nek Chand's sculpture garden in north India.

Raw Creation: Outsider Art and Beyond

Arts & Photography

Maizels, John

History & Criticism

Phaidon Press

Cardinal, Roger

L'art brut (0000)

PHAIDON FRANCE

Outsider Art and Folk Art have been gaining increasing attention over the past two decades. They have been described as the 'hidden face of contemporary art'. Once marginalised and seen very much as a minority interest, these forms of art are now the subject of important international exhibitions and even have specially dedicated museums on both sides of the Atlantic. Hidden, secret, or reclusive this art may have been, but today its large international following stands as a testimony to its unique power and individuality. This second and enlarged edition of the Outsider Art Sourcebook is the first international publication to act as a comprehensive guide through this fascinating field. It leads its readers to make their own discoveries, showing where collections and exhibitions of Folk Art and Outsider Art can be found and how to visit the most sensational of the visionary environments self-built architecture and large scale sculpture gardens. With detailed full page entries on 130 artists and 50 visionary environments, this guide encompasses a full view of the most important areas of a field that still has discoveries to make. Students, scholars and art followers are introduced to the principal theorists of Art Brut, guided through important literature on the subject and given an introduction the most important artists and the most stunning visionary environments. With additional listings of specialist art galleries, museums and collections, publications, organisations and relevant websites, the Outsider Art Sourcebook is essential reading for enthusiasts and beginners alike.

OUTSIDER ART SOURCEBOOK, 2ND ED. (Raw Vision)

Raw Vision

For fourteen years, Nek Chand secretly transported thousands of stones by bicycle from the Himalayan foothills to a secluded, government-owned jungle clearing. There he combined them with urban debris—corroded wires, sheet metal, bicycle parts, tubes, tires, multicolored tissue, glass and feathers—to make statuettes. In 1972, authorities stumbled upon his menagerie of elephants, horses, monkeys, birds, and figures and eventually decided to support his project at what is now the second most-visited site in India after the Taj Mahal. Authorative text, an interview, 140 illustrations, and a detailed site map pay homage to this singular fantasy universe. This book is published for the exhibition at the American Folk Art Museum (April 4-September 24, 2006).

Nek Chand's Outsider Art: The Rock Garden of Chandigarh

Piery, Lucienne

Flammarion

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