Das open art museum, St.Gallen zeigt Kunst, die nur schwer greifbar ist. Das Museum sammelt, bewahrt und vermittelt schweizerische «Naive Kunst», «Art Brut» und «Outsider Art» zeitgenössischer und verstorbener Künstler*innen. Die im Museum vertretenen Künstler*innen sind Laien und Autodidakt*innen ohne akademische künstlerische Ausbildung. Pro Jahr werden mindestens drei Wechselausstellungen und eine Sammlungsausstellung gezeigt.

What is ‘Art Brut’?

Individual visionaries took an early interest in creating art beyond the academies and the art market. Around 1900, collections of works by patients were created at various psychiatric clinics (see the Morgenthaler Collection at Waldau near Bern).

This «art by the mentally ill» (Hans Prinzhorn, 1922) or later «condition-related art» (Leo Navratil, 1950s/1960s) was particularly popular in avant-garde circles.

It also had a major influence on Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985). In 1945, he coined the term ‘art brut’ to describe this form of art, as a counterpoint to ‘art culturel’. Jean Dubuffet understood this to mean culturally untainted, ‘unspoilt’ creations outside any artistic tradition, possessing the power of a ‘rough diamond’.

‘Art Brut’ in the broader sense

Jean Dubuffet’s term ‘Art Brut’ encompasses not only works by people with mental health conditions, but also the creative expression of those on the margins of society: self-taught artists, social outsiders, people with cognitive impairments, or those who engage in artistic activity driven by an inner urge – regardless of art theories or an audience.

‘Art Brut’ is not a style in the traditional sense, but rather an attitude: it stands for immediacy, authenticity and artistic expression that transcends conventional expectations. The works often defy clear interpretation, yet it is precisely for this reason that they possess such great intensity and expressiveness.

This art challenges the established concept of art, not least because it demonstrates that creativity and artistic power are not dependent on academic training or social recognition.

Notable artists of the ‘Art Brut’ movement

Some of the best-known female artists associated with ‘Art Brut’ were often only discovered posthumously or recognised outside the established art world:

• Adolf Wölfli (1864–1930), Switzerland: one of the earliest and most significant exponents of ‘Art Brut’. Wölfli, who suffered from schizophrenia, created a monumental body of work comprising drawings, collages and texts whilst at the Waldau psychiatric clinic near Bern. Jean Dubuffet held him in the highest regard.
• Aloïse Corbaz (1886–1964), Switzerland: Her vividly coloured, visionary works are characterised by a complex, romantic visual world. She is regarded as one of the defining female voices of ‘Art Brut’.
• Augustin Lesage (1876–1954), France: A miner who claimed that his works were inspired by the voices of spirits. He created symmetrical, mandala-like paintings with astonishing precision.
• Henry Darger (1892–1973), USA: A reclusive caretaker who created a 15,000-page epic featuring hundreds of illustrations. His work was only discovered after his death and is now regarded as a landmark in ‘outsider art’.