August 27, 2026
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Antonino La Vela Art Journal

Contemporary Art Criticism, Interviews, Essays and Visual Politics

Art Brut

Art Brut, or “raw art,” describes artistic practices created outside conventional academic and institutional systems. Introduced by Jean Dubuffet, the term has been associated with self-taught artists, psychiatric patients, prisoners and creators working beyond the official art world.

This section explores the history, artists and unresolved contradictions of Art Brut, including its relationship with outsider art, museums, collecting and contemporary culture. It also questions who has the authority to define an artist as an outsider and what happens when supposedly independent practices enter galleries, exhibitions and the art market.

Installation view, L’Art Brut de Jean Dubuffet, aux origines de la collection, Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne. Courtesy of Collection de l’Art Brut. Installation view, L’Art Brut de Jean Dubuffet, aux origines de la collection, Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne. Courtesy of Collection de l’Art Brut.
Art Movements

Who Invented the Outsider? The Unresolved Paradox of Art Brut

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Modern art searched hospitals, streets and social margins for images the academy could no longer create. Art Brut reveals who still has the power to name the outsider.

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