The 29th edition of the Outsider Art Fair will include a hybrid of online and in-person components, featuring 7 curated exhibitions across 5 gallery locations around Manhattan. As host to one of these curated exhibitions, Hirschl & Adler is pleased to announce To Be Human: The Figure in Self-Taught Art. This group exhibition is on view now and open to the public. You can make an appointment through ArtSVP, or simply stop by. To augment our in-person presentation for the Outsider Art Fair, our presence in the online viewing rooms will feature a broader range of available work from Jeanne Brousseau, James Castle, Edward Deeds, Bill Traylor, Frank Walter, Purvis Young and David Zeldis. To visit our virtual booth, please click here.
To Be Human: The Figure in Self-Taught Art
Since prehistoric times, with handprints on cave walls, the human form has stood at the center of the world’s artistic expression. The impulse to self-reflect, to know ourselves better, to capture our identity and project it to others is central to our being. By exploring a person’s outer and inner appearance through their shape, body language, facial expressions or costuming, an artist reveals and defines the human condition in ways both specific and universal.
Formal artistic training begins with a “life” class. The art establishment has deemed such an education essential. But the desire to know one’s self through art burns just as bright in the hearts of self-taught artists whose unique perspectives—unburdened by dogma, norms, or the constraints of the art market—free them to create human connections in totally original and unforeseen ways. These artists are the purview of this exhibition. There are no anatomy lessons or deep art historical educations among this group. They may be imprisoned, formerly enslaved, institutionalized, or profoundly disabled and virtually cut off from society. Many are lonely, isolated by choice or circumstance, driven by the need to find meaning, order, and truth in their reality, or their fantasy. Others are simply avid creators and makers whose remarkable skills and abilities go undeterred by their lack of training. All yearn to express through joy or fear, loss or triumph, levity or gravity, what it means to be human.
This Outsider Art Fair event is in collaboration with:
James Barron Art, Kent, Connecticut
Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York
Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York
Marion Harris, New York
Ricco/Maresca Gallery, New York
Shrine, New York