Outsider Art

The term Outsider Art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for Art Brut (which literally translates as "Raw Art" or "Rough Art"), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane asylum inmates.

Related Topics:
Art critic - Roger Cardinal - 1972 - English - French - Artist - Jean Dubuffet

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While Dubuffet's term is quite specific, the English term "Outsider Art" is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or naive art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as Outsider Artists have little or no contact with the institutions of the mainstream art world, they often employ unique materials or fabrication techniques; much Outsider Art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.

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In the years since Outsider Art has emerged as a successful art marketing category (an annual Outsider Art Fair has taken place in New York since 1992) the term is sometimes misapplied as a catch-all marketing label for art created by people outside the "art world" mainstream, regardless of their circumstances or the content of their work.

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