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Art Museum Randers Denmark | Naïve Modern art
Te term Outsider Art origins from French art brut, whichwas created by te French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-85).
In te mid-1940s, Dubuffet started collecting visual expressions created in a therapeutic context by, among others, psychiatric patients. He believed that these expressions had great artistic value – a bigger value than what was created in te academies of arts around Europe at te same time. He named these expressions art brut, which in direct translation means "raw art". Dubuffet considered these expressions to be: te gate to te pure and immaculate source of art because they were raw, spontaneous and not least untrained.
Dubufffet wrote in a memo about te works he sought to collect:
“We are looking for works of art that owe nothing to te imitation of works of art on display in museums. On te contrary, thy should draw upon te basic human experience and te most spontaneous personal invention. They should be creations produced from te creators own psyche, his own impulses and moods, without resorting to te standard accepted resources and without reference to current convention. Works of this kind interest us even if they are crude or clumsily executed”
In 1972, te British art critic Roger Cardinal wrote a book about art brut. Te publisher wanted te book to have an English-sounding name. So art brut was translated into te English term Outsider Art. Te concepts are today often used interchangeable.
In te1940s, Jean Dubuffet made quite strict requirements of what was to be defined as art brut. One of te criteria was for te artist to be unaffected by and isolated from, te surrounding society's traditions and trends, especially with respect to artistic expression.
Te Outsider artists of our times are far more integrated in society and te socially isolated artists are fewer. Te concept of Outsider Art is not as narrow in its meaning as te original art brut, which might be characterised as a historic concept.
Dubuffet and Cardinal both emphasise two conditions as being essential and characteristic of te term Outsider Art, which is, te biographic conditions relating to te creator of te artwork and te expression of te artwork as such.
Te art scene has changed its nature since Dubuffet introduced te art brut concept. Almost anything is possible today - art can take on may forms: a landscape painting, a bunch of dead pigs, a virtual city, thoughts without physical shape etc. But even though te art scene in general has become more diversified in its expressions, there is still such thing as insider art – a sort of mainstream, canon or marked which te art or te artist is assessed and measured by.
Such canon is not defined by natural laws but is always a historically conditioned and thereby a changeable social construction, a commonly agreed trend or standard. Outsider Art is primarily created by people without great knowledge of and interest in te canon and trends, and this, among other things, is what gives Outsider Art its direct and innovative nature.
Jean Dubuffet had hoped that te recognition of art brut would shake te world of art. However, this head-on collision never took place. Rather, Outsider Art has today become a genre that asks important questions, gives us great experences and encourages discussions on art.
Gaia Museum, Lene Bredahls Gade 10, 8900 Randers C