Outsider Art Moves In

Outsider Art Moves In
▪ 1999

      Works of art produced by amateurs unconnected to the conventional art world were long considered unworthy of serious attention, but in recent years these works, known as "outsider art," have gained a devoted following among many art critics and enthusiasts eager for a less-academic and more personal mode of representation. In 1998 some of the best examples of outsider art were featured in a traveling exhibition, "Self-Taught Artists of the 20th Century: An American Anthology," which enjoyed a successful debut at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Outsider Art Fair, staged annually since 1993 in New York City, also sparked much interest and, with 40 American and European dealers filling its booths, confirmed that outsider art was becoming a viable genre with a healthy market.

      What characterizes outsider art? Its roots lie in the folk paintings of self-taught masters like Grandma Moses, whose documentation of traditional farm life in the U.S. made her internationally popular, and Horace Pippin, celebrated for his primitivist depictions of African-Americans. Outsider art differs from folk art, however, in that it depicts the isolation of those living on the margins of society rather than reflecting the cultural traditions of a community. Among the most notable outsider artists are Henry Darger, a Chicago recluse whose fantasy-inspired watercolours and accompanying 15,000-page epic were discovered after his death, and Martín Ramírez, a Mexican-American who created large-scale surrealistic drawings during a life spent mostly in a mental institution.

      After the 1972 publication of critic Roger Cardinal's influential book Outsider Art, interest in works of art unhampered by convention and created outside mainstream cultural influences grew at a steady rate. The British quarterly Raw Vision was established in 1989 exclusively to cover the genre. The American Visionary Art Museum, the first national museum dedicated solely to the work of self-taught artists, opened in Baltimore, Md., in November 1995. By 1998, with other specialist museums opening and an increasing number of collectors, the prospect that outsider art would find a wider audience seemed all but certain.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • art criticism — Description, interpretation, and evaluation of works of art, manifested in journal reviews, books, and patronage. Art criticism encompasses a wide variety of approaches, from critical commentary to more subjective emotional reactions inspired by… …   Universalium

  • Op art — Not to be confused with pop art or plop art. Movement in Squares, by Bridget Riley 1961 Op art, also known as optical art, is a style[1] of visual art that makes use of optical ill …   Wikipedia

  • Delaine Le Bas — (b.1965) is a British Artist from a Romany background and wife of artist Damian Le Bas. Delaine Le Bas has shown her art extensively both in the UK and internationally, including at the International Festival of Singular Art, Roquevaire, France;… …   Wikipedia

  • Lausanne — For other uses, see Lausanne (disambiguation). Lausanne Lausanne Cathedral and old town Country …   Wikipedia

  • Marcel Janco — Marcel Hermann Iancu Janco in 1954 Born May 24, 1895 Bucharest Died April 21, 1984( …   Wikipedia

  • List of websites founded before 1995 — This list includes sites on the World Wide Web which were founded prior to 1995 which are particularly notable because: *They have existed continuously (or under other names) up to the present day. *They had particular influence or popularity in… …   Wikipedia

  • Tarcisio Merati — Infobox Artist name = Tarcisio Merati birthdate = birth date|1934|05|27|mf=y location = Bonate Sotto, Italy deathdate = death date|1995|10|22 deathplace = Bergamo, Italy nationality = Italian field = Painting Also named with the nick Coccolone ,… …   Wikipedia

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • performing arts — arts or skills that require public performance, as acting, singing, or dancing. [1945 50] * * * ▪ 2009 Introduction Music Classical.       The last vestiges of the Cold War seemed to thaw for a moment on Feb. 26, 2008, when the unfamiliar strains …   Universalium

  • Outsiders (comics) — For the 1st Issue Special Outsiders team, see Outsiders (DC Comics) Outsiders Cover for Outsiders vol. 4, #15. Art by Lee Garbett and Trevor Scott. Group publication information …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”