The Collection de l’Art Brut

“We intend with these works executed by those unscathed by artistic culture, in which, the mimesis has little role in the way that the artist draws everything (subject, choice of material, the creative process, ways of expressing an idea, rhythms, etc.) from their own depths and, unlike intellectuals, not from the conventions of classical or fashionable art.”
― Jean Dubuffet

The Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland was begun in 1971 by a donation of 4,000 pieces of artwork, all of which were in the private collection of French artist Jean Dubuffet. The artist had long collected the work of institutionalized and marginalized people — works that he and a few other contemporaries like Paul Klee, Andre Breton, Max Ernst and Franz Marc, documented, wrote about and collected.

It was Dubuffet who coined the term ‘Art Brut,’ a term that defined art that was raw, pure and untainted from the principles of teaching. This was art that emerged from the mind of madness, or genius—without regard for what the rest of the art world coveted — fame, exhibitions or sales.

The work you see here today is from the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, culled from their informative new website. Since the donation by Dubuffet in 1971, the museum has continued to add to the collection, with works by more contemporary self-taught and visionary masters such as the reclusive Henry Darger, the autistic savant George Widener and others.

All images © Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne, Switzerland

Doudin, Jules (1884-1946), Switzerland

Aloïse (1886-1964), Switzerland


Carlo (1916-1974), Italy


Carlo (1916-1974), Italy


Wölfli, Adolf (1864-1930), Switzerland


Wölfli, Adolf (1864-1930), Switzerland


Wölfli, Adolf (1864-1930), Switzerland


Duhem, Paul (1919–1999), Belgium


Deeds, James Edward (1908-1987), USA


End, Paul (1895-?), France


Forestier, Auguste (1887-1958), France


Duf, Gaston (1920-1966), France

Genk, Willem van (1927-2005), Netherlands


Fusco, Sylvain (1903-1940), France


Gill, Madge (1882-1961), England


Jakic, Vojislav (1932–2003), Macedonia


Maisonneuve, Pascal-Désir (1863-1934), France


Mackintosh, Dwight (1906-1999), USA


Walla, August (1936-2001), Austria


Walla, August (1936-2001), Austria


Scott, Judith (1943-2005), USA


Widener, George (1962), USA


Sawada, Shinichi (1982), Japan


Tschirtner, Oswald (1920-2007), Austria


Tripier, Jeanne (1869-1944), France


Salingardes, Henri (1872-1947), France