Naïve art is usually defined as

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...

that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy,

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

, technique, perspective, ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is emulated by a trained artist, the result is sometimes called '' primitivism'', ''pseudo-naïve art'', or ''faux naïve art''. Unlike

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative. The makers of folk art are typically tr ...

, naïve art does not necessarily derive from a distinct popular cultural context or tradition; indeed, at least in the advanced economies and since the Printing Revolution, awareness of the local

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

tradition has been inescapable, as it diffused through

popular print Popular prints is a term for printed images of generally low artistic quality which were sold cheaply in Europe and later the New World from the 15th to 18th centuries, often with text as well as images. They were some of the earliest examples of ...

s and other media. Naïve artists are aware of "fine art" conventions such as graphical perspective and compositional conventions, but are unable to fully use them, or choose not to. By contrast,

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrate ...

(''art brut'') denotes works from a similar context but which have only minimal contact with the mainstream art world. Naïve art is recognized, and often imitated, for its childlike simplicity and frankness. Paintings of this kind typically have a flat rendering

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

with a rudimentary expression of perspective. One particularly influential painter of "naïve art" was

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Post-Impressionist who was discovered by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

. The definition of the term, and its "borders" with neighbouring terms such as folk art and outsider art, has been a matter of some controversy. Naïve art is a term usually used for the forms of fine art, such as paintings and sculptures, but made by a self-taught artist, while objects with a practical use come under folk art. But this distinction has been disputed. Another term that may be used, especially of paintings and architecture, is "provincial", essentially used for work by artists who had received some conventional training, but whose work unintentionally falls short of metropolitan or court standards.

Characteristics

Naïve art is often seen as

that is by someone without formal (or little) training or degree. While this was true before the twentieth century, there are now

academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

for naïve art. Naïve art is now a fully recognized art genre, represented in art galleries worldwide. The characteristics of naïve art have an awkward relationship to the formal qualities of painting, especially not respecting the three rules of the perspective (such as defined by the ''Progressive Painters of the Renaissance''): # Decrease of the size of objects proportionally with distance, # Muting of colors with distance, # Decrease of the precision of details with distance, The results are: # Effects of perspective geometrically erroneous (awkward aspect of the works, children's drawings look, or medieval painting look, but the comparison stops there) # Strong use of pattern, unrefined color on all the plans of the composition, without enfeeblement in the background, # An equal accuracy brought to details, including those of the background which should be shaded off. Simplicity rather than subtlety are all supposed markers of naïve art. It has, however, become such a popular and recognizable style that many examples could be called ''pseudo-naïve''. Whereas naïve art ideally describes the work of an artist who did not receive formal education in an

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...

academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, for example Henri Rousseau or

Alfred Wallis Alfred Wallis (18 August 1855 – 29 August 1942) was a British fisherman and artist known for his port landscapes and shipping scenes painted in a naïve style. Having no artistic training, he began painting at the age of 70, using househo ...

, 'pseudo naïve' or 'faux naïve' art describes the work of an artist working in a more imitative or self-conscious mode and whose work can be seen as more imitative than original. Strict naïvety is unlikely to be found in contemporary artists, given the expansion of

Autodidactism Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or educational institution, institutions (such as schools). Generally, ...

as a form of education in modern times. Naïve categorizations are not always welcome by living artists, but this is likely to change as dignifying signals are known. Museums devoted to naïve art now exist in

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's th ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

; Kovačica,

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

;

Riga, Latvia Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava (river), Daugava river where ...

; Jaen, Spain;

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

Brasil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area an ...

; Vicq

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. Examples of English-speaking living artists who acknowledge their naïve style are: Gary Bunt, Lyle Carbajal, Gabe Langholtz, Gigi Mills, Barbara Olsen, Paine Proffitt, and Alain Thomas. "Primitive art" is another term often applied to art by those without formal training, but is historically more often applied to work from certain cultures that have been judged socially or technologically "primitive" by Western academia, such as Native American, subsaharan African or Pacific Island art (see

Tribal art Tribal art is the visual arts and material culture of indigenous peoples. Also known as non-Western art or ethnographic art, or, controversially, primitive art, Dutton, Denis, Tribal Art'. In Michael Kelly (editor), ''Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. ...

). This is distinguished from the self-conscious, "primitive" inspired movement primitivism. Another term related to (but not completely synonymous with) naïve art is

. There also exist the terms "naïvism" and "primitivism" which are usually applied to professional painters working in the style of naïve art (like

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

, Mikhail Larionov,

Paul Klee Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented ...

Term

In 1870, in his poem ''Au Cabaret-Vert, 5 heures du soir'',

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

uses the word ''naïf'' to designate “clumsy” pictorial representations: ''“I contemplated the very naive subjects of the tapestry”'', which is perhaps the case of the origin of the ''naïf'' employment by

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire) of the Wąż coat of arms. (; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of t ...

some time later.

Movements

Nobody knows exactly when the first naive artists appeared on the scene, as from the very first manifestations of art right up to the days of the "Modern Classic", naive artists quite unconsciously bequeathed us unmistakable signs of their creative activity. At all events, naive art can be regarded as having occupied an "official" position in the annals of twentieth-century art since – at the very latest – the publication of the ''

Der Blaue Reiter ''Der Blaue Reiter'' (The Blue Rider) is a designation by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc for their exhibition and publication activities, in which both artists acted as sole editors in the almanac of the same name, first published in mid-May ...

'', an almanac in 1912.

Wassily Kandinsky Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (; rus, Василий Васильевич Кандинский, Vasiliy Vasilyevich Kandinskiy, vɐˈsʲilʲɪj vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ kɐnʲˈdʲinskʲɪj; – 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter a ...

and Franz Marc, who brought out the almanac, presented 6 reproductions of paintings by ''le Douanier' Rousseau (Henri Rousseau)'', comparing them with other pictorial examples. However, most experts agree that the year that naive art was "discovered" was 1885, when the painter

Paul Signac Paul Victor Jules Signac ( , ; 11 November 1863 – 15 August 1935) was a French Neo-Impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the Pointillist style. Biography Paul Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863. ...

became aware of the talents of Henri Rousseau and set about organizing exhibitions of his work in a number of prestigious galleries.

The Sacred Heart painters

German art collector and critic

Wilhelm Uhde Wilhelm Uhde (28 October 1874, Strzelce Krajeńskie, Friedeberg, Province of Brandenburg (now Poland) – 17 August 1947, Paris) was a German art collector, dealer, author and critic, an early collector of modernist painting, and a significant figu ...

is known as the principal organiser of the first Naïve Art exhibition, which took place in Paris in 1928. The participants were

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the André Bauchant,

Camille Bombois Camille Bombois (3 February 1883 – 6 June 1970) was a French naïve painter especially noted for paintings of circus scenes. Bombois was born in Venarey-les-Laumes in the Côte-d'Or, in humble circumstances. His childhood was spent living ...

, Séraphine Louis and Louis Vivin, known collectively as the Sacred Heart painters.

Earth Group

The

Earth Group The Earth Group ( hr, Grupa Zemlja) was a Croatian arts collective active in Zagreb, Croatia from 1929 to 1935, when it was banned. The group aimed to defend their artistic independence against foreign influences such as Impressionism or Neoclassici ...

(''Grupa Zemlja'') were Croatian artists,

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s and intellectuals active in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

from 1929 to 1935. The group was Marxist in orientation and was partly modelled on " Neue Sachlichkeit", leading to more stylized forms, and the emergence of Naive painting. The group included the painters Krsto Hegedušić, Edo Kovačević, Omer Mujadžić, Kamilo Ružička, Ivan Tabaković, and

Oton Postružnik Oton Postružnik (1900–1978) was a Croatian artist, painter, graphic artist, and ceramist. He was one of the founding members of the Earth Group artist collective in Zagreb from 1929 to 1933. He studied in Zagreb, Prague and Paris, and was a pro ...

, the sculptors

Antun Augustinčić Antun Augustinčić (4 May 1900 – 10 May 1979) was a Croatian sculptor active in Yugoslavia and the United States. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Frano Kršinić he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th ...

Frano Kršinić Frano Kršinić (24 July 1897 – 1 January 1982) was a Croatian sculptor active in former Yugoslavia. Along with Ivan Meštrović and Antun Augustinčić, he is considered one of the three most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th centur ...

, and the architect Drago Ibler. The Earth group searched for answers to social issues. Their program emphasised the importance of independent creative expression, and opposed the uncritical copying of foreign styles. Rather than producing art for art's sake, they felt it ought to reflect the reality of life and the needs of the modern community. Activities at the group's exhibitions were increasingly provocative to the government of the day, and in 1935 the group was banned.

Hlebine School

A term applied to Croatian naive painters working in or around the village of Hlebine, near the Hungarian border, from about 1930. At this time, according to the ''World Encyclopedia of Naive Art'' (1984), the village amounted to little more than 'a few muddy winding streets and one-storey houses', but it produced such a remarkable crop of artists that it became virtually synonymous with Yugoslav naive painting.

Hlebine Hlebine is a municipality in Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia. It consists of two villages, Hlebine and Gabajeva Greda. Population Its population is earns its living primarily from agricultural production. The population has been decreasin ...

is a small picturesque municipality in the North of Croatia that in 1920s became a setting against which a group of self-taught peasants began to develop a unique and somewhat revolutionary style of painting. This was instigated by leading intellectuals of the time such as the poet Antun Gustav Matoš and the biggest name in Croatian literature,

Miroslav Krleža Miroslav Krleža (; 7 July 1893 – 29 December 1981) was a Yugoslav and Croatian writer who is widely considered to be the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century. He wrote notable works in all the literary genres, including poetry (''Ba ...

, who called for an individual national artistic style that would be independent from Western influences. These ideas were picked up by a celebrated artist from Hlebine – Krsto Hegedušić and he went on to found the Hlebine School of Art in 1930 in search of national “rural artistic expression”.

Ivan Generalić Ivan Generalić (December 21, 1914 – November 27, 1992) was a Croatian painter in the naïve tradition. Biography Generalić was born in Hlebine near Koprivnica. In elementary school, painting lessons were his greatest joy and as a child ...

was the first master of the Hlebine School, and the first to develop a distinctive personal style, achieving a high standard in his art. After the Second World War, the next generation of Hlebine painters tended to focus more on stylized depictions of country life taken from imagination. Generalić continued to be the dominant figure, and encouraged younger artists, including his son Josip Generalić. The Hlebine school became a worldwide phenomenon with the 1952 Venice Biennale and exhibitions in Brazil and Brussels. Some of the best known naive artists are Dragan Gaži,

, Josip Generalić, Krsto Hegedušić, Mijo Kovačić, Ivan Lacković-Croata,

Franjo Mraz Franjo Mraz (April 4, 1910 in Hlebine – October 26, 1981 in Brežice) was a notable Croatian artist. Together with Ivan Generalić and Mirko Virius Mirko Virius (October 28, 1889 – 1943) was a Croatian naïve painter. He was one of th ...

, Ivan Večenaj and Mirko Virius.

Artists

18th century

Oluf Braren Oluf Braren (25 February 1787 – 22 March 1839) was a painter of naïve art from the north Frisian island of Föhr. Some of his works show a strong affinity to his Frisian homeland. His paintings include portraits and depictions of public life as ...

(1787–1839) * Justus DaLee (1793–1878) *

Edward Hicks Edward Hicks (April 4, 1780 – August 23, 1849) was an American folk painter and distinguished religious minister of the Society of Friends (aka "Quakers"). He became a Quaker icon because of his paintings. Biography Early life Edward ...

(1780–1849) * Joshua Johnson (1763–1824)

19th century

James Bard James Bard (1815-1897) was a marine artist of the 19th century. He is known for his paintings of watercraft, particularly of steamboats. His works are sometimes characterized as naïve art. Although Bard died poor and almost forgotten, his wor ...

(1815–1897) * Ferdinand Cheval, known as 'le facteur Cheval' (1836–1924) * Denys Corbet (1826–1910) * Olof Krans (1838–1916) *

Cándido López Cándido López (29 August 1840 – 31 December 1902) was an Argentine soldier and painter who worked in the Naïve style. He is best known for his historical scenes from the Paraguayan War in which he fought. Biography Early life He beg ...

(1840–1902) * Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918) Georgia * Peter Rindisbacher (1806–1834) USA, born in Switzerland *

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Gesner Abelard Gesner Abelard (born 22 February 1922) was a Haitian painter and sculptor. Born in Port-au-Prince, Abelard began life as a mechanic, then studied painting and sculpture at the Industrial School of Port-au-Prince under the painter Humberman Charl ...

(born 1922) *

Ellinor Aiki Ellinor Aiki (11 January 1893 – 25 October 1969)Vaal Galeri.
Retrieved 12 May 2016. wa ...

(1893–1969) * Andreas Alariesto (1900–1989) Finland * Alyona Azernaya (born 1966) Russia * Jan Bacur (born 1937) Serbia * Jan Balet (1913–2009) * Nina Barka (Marie Smirsky) (1908–1986) * Ilija Bašičević (1895–1972) * André Bauchant (1873–1958) * Kateryna Bilokur (1900–1961) Ukraine * Janko Brašić (1906–1994) *

(1883–1970) *

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, also known as Cheik Nadro (11 March 1923 – 28 January 2014), was an Côte d'Ivoire, Ivorian artist. Life and career Bouabré was born in Idibouo-Zépréguhé, Zépréguhé, Ivory Coast, and was among the first Ivoria ...

(born 1923) * Eugen Buktenica (1914–1997) Croatia * Sam Byrne (1883–1978) Australia * Charles Callins (1887–1982) *

Zuzana Chalupová Zuzana Chalupová ( sr, Зузана Халупова, Zuzana Halupova; 5 February 1925 – 1 August 2001) was a Serbian naïve painter of Slovak ethnicity, who was born and lived her whole life in the town of Kovačica, Serbia. Her colourful na ...

(1925–2001) Kovačica (Vojvodina) Serbia * Paulina Constancia (born 1970) Philippines *

Henry Darger Henry Joseph Darger Jr. (; April 12, 1892 – April 13, 1973) was an American writer, novelist and artist who worked as a hospital custodian in Chicago, Illinois. He has become famous for his posthumously discovered 15,145-page fantasy novel m ...

(1892–1973) * Michel Delacroix (born 1933) France *

Préfète Duffaut Préfète Duffaut (1 January 1923 – 6 October 2012) was a Haitian Painting, painter. Biography Born in Cyvadier, Sud-Est (department), Sud-Est, near the seaport of Jacmel, where he lived and worked. The painter Pauleus Vital (1918–1984) ...

(born 1923) * Emerik Feješ (1904–1969) Croatia * Howard Finster (1916–2001) * Robert-Émile Fortin (1945–2004) Canada *

Lucy Fradkin Lucy Fradkin (born 1953) is an American self-taught artist from New York who paints portraits which often include collage elements. She is inspired by Persian and Indian miniature paintings with bright palettes and flattened space as well as the ...

(born 1953) United States * George Fredericks (born 1929) * José Rodríguez Fuster (born 1946) Cuba * Dragan Gaži (1930–1983) Croatia *

(1914–1992)

, Croatia * Josip Generalić (1935–2004)

, Croatia *

Mokarrameh Ghanbari Mokarrameh Ghanbari ( fa, مکرمه قنبری; born in 1928 – died October 24, 2005) was an Iranian self-taught painter who won several international art awards. She started painting at the age of 61 in 1991. Biography Mokarrameh was born i ...

(1928–2005) Iran * Petronėlė Gerlikienė (1905–1979) * Petar Grgec (1933–2006) Croatia * Theora Hamblett (1895–1977) * James Hampton (1909–1964), United States * Krsto Hegedušić (1901–1975) Croatia * Jan Husarik (born 1942) Padina, Serbia * Eremenko Irina (1919–2007) Russia * Mary Jewels (1886–1977) *

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

(1961–2019)

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, United States *

Drago Jurak Drago Jurak (17 January 1911 – 1 January 1994) was a Croatian painter who was active during the time of Yugoslavia. His works can be found at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb. Jurak was schooled for a wheelwright A wheelwright i ...

(1911–1994) Croatia * Bob Justin (born 1941) * Ferenc Kalmar (born 1928) * John Kane (1860–1934) * Alena Kish (1889 or 1896–1949) Belarus * Mijo Kovačić (born 1935) Croatia * Arnold Kramer (1882–1976) * Siegfried L. Kratochwil (1916–2005) Austria *

Ivan Lacković Croata Ivan Lacković Croata (January 1, 1932 – August 29, 2004) was a Croatian naive painter. Lacković was born to a peasant family in the village of Batinske near Kalinovac. After completing his primary education, he worked as a laborer in fields a ...

(1932–2004) Croatia * Pavel Leonov (1920–2011) Russia *

Maud Lewis Maud Kathleen Lewis (née Dowley; March 7, 1903 – July 30, 1970) was a Canadian folk artist from Nova Scotia. She lived most of her life in poverty in a small house in Marshalltown, Nova Scotia. She achieved national recognition in 1964 and 196 ...

(1903–1970) Canada *

Antonio Ligabue Antonio Ligabue (18 December 1899 – 27 May 1965; born Antonio Laccabue) was an Italian painter. He was one of the most important Naïve artists of the 20th century. Biography He was born in Zürich, Switzerland on 18 December 1899, to Elisab ...

(1899–1965) * Séraphine Louis, known as 'Séraphine de Senlis' (1864–1942) * Claudine Loquen, (born 1965) France *

L. S. Lowry Laurence Stephen Lowry ( ; 1 November 1887 – 23 February 1976) was an English artist. His drawings and paintings mainly depict Pendlebury, Lancashire (where he lived and worked for more than 40 years) as well as Salford and its vicinity ...

(1887–1976) * Manuel Lepe Macedo (1936–1984) * Radia Bent Lhoucine (1912–1994) *

Ferreira Louis Marius Ferreira Louis Marius Amorim de Moraes, (born March 13, 1953, in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) is a modern Brazilian painter and supporter of naïve art. He began his artistic career in 1979 and currently lives and works in Peruíbe, São Paulo, B ...

(born 1953) *

Katya Medvedeva Katya Ivanovna Medvedeva (russian: Екатери́на Ива́новна Медве́дева ''Ekaterina Ivanovna Medvedeva''; born 1937) is a Russian naïve painter. Biography Yekaterina (Katya) Medvedeva was born January 10, 1937 in th ...

(born 1937) Russia * Martin Mehkek (1936–2014) Croatia *

Manuel Mendive Manuel Mendive Hoyos (born 1944) is one of the leading Afro-Cuban artists to emerge from the revolutionary period, and is considered by many to be the most important Cuban artist living today. Biography Mendive was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1944 ...

(born 1944) Cuba * Dobrosav Milojevic (born 1948) Serbia * Ethel Wright Mohamed (1906–1992) United States *

Grandma Moses Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860 – December 13, 1961), or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and is a prominent example of a newly successful art career at an advanced age. H ...

, Anna Mary Robertson (1860–1961) *

(1910–1981)

, Croatia *

Navitrolla Heiki Trolla (born 10 August 1970 in Võru), better known by his artist name Navitrolla, is an Estonian painter whose work has been described as naivistRadi Nedelchev (born 1938) Bulgaria *

Norman Neasom Norman Neasom RWS, RBSA (7 November 1915 – 22 February 2010) was an English painter and art teacher. He grew up on Birchensale Farm in Brockhill Lane on the outskirts of Redditch, Worcestershire. On finishing his schooling at Redditch Co ...

(1915–2010) *

Nikifor Nikifor (21 May 1895, Krynica, Austria-Hungary – 10 October 1968, Folusz, Poland), also known as Nikifor Krynicki, born as Epifaniy Drovnyak (Epifaniusz Drowniak) 1, was a Lemko naïve painter. Nikifor painted over 40,000 pictures – on s ...

(1895–1968) Poland * Mary Nohl (1914–2001) Fox Point, Wisconsin * Teofil Ociepka (1891–1978) Poland * Stan Ioan Pătraş (1908–1977) Romania *

Bryan Pearce Walter Bryan Pearce (25 July 1929 – 11 January 2007) was a British painter. He was recognised as one of the UK's leading naïve artists. Early life Bryan Pearce was born in St. Ives, Cornwall, which remained his home for the rest of his ...

(1929–2007) * Mario Perez (born 1943) *

Raphael Perez Raphael "Rafi" Perez ( he, רפי פרץ; born 1965) is an Israeli artist known for his homoerotic gay art and colorful urban landscapes painted in a naïve style. Early life Perez was born in Jerusalem. Growing up, he was exposed to the works ...

(born 1965) Israel * Dominique-Paul Peyronnet (1872–1943) France *

Nan Phelps Nan Phelps (née Hinkle; August 25, 1904 – January 17, 1990), was an American folk artist from London, Kentucky. Phelps’ work has often been compared to that of the more famous Grandma Moses in both style and subject matter. Biography Phelps ...

(1904–1990) United States *

Horace Pippin Horace Pippin (February 22, 1888 – July 6, 1946) was a self-taught American artist who painted a range of themes, including scenes inspired by his service in World War I, landscapes, portraits, and biblical subjects. Some of his best-known work ...

(1888–1946) * Maria Pryimachenko (1908–1997) Ukraine * Alevtina Pyzhova (born 1936) Russia *

Ivan Rabuzin Ivan Rabuzin (27 March 1921 – 18 December 2008) was a Croatian naïve artist. French art critic Anatole Jakovsky described him in 1972 as "one of the greatest naïve painters of all times and countries". Rabuzin's father was a miner, and Ivan ...

(1921–2008) Croatia * Polina Raiko (1927–2004) Ukraine * Bárbaro Rivas (1893–1967) Venezuela *

Markey Robinson David Marcus Robinson ( – 28 January 1999) was an Irish painter and sculptor with a primitive representational style. Early life Robinson was born on in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the son of a house painter. Robinson began drawing at an ...

(1918–1999) Ireland * Konstantin Rodko (1908–1995) * Vasily Romanenkov (1953–2013) Russia * Heinz Seelig (1909–1992) Israel * Oles Semernya (1936–2012) Ukraine * Jon Serl (1894–1993) United States *

Jean Pierre Serrier Jean Pierre Serrier (18 October 1934 – 30 March 1989) was a French painter known for surrealism and absurdist art. Early life and education He was born in the Montparnasse district of Paris, the son of Louis and Solange Serrier. His father f ...

(1934-1989) France * Yeshayahu Sheinfeld (1909–1979) IsraelListed artist b
The Israel Museum
in Jerusalem * Mary Michael Shelley (born 1950) * Chris (Simpsons artist) (born 1983) England *

Matija Skurjeni Matija Skurjeni (1898–1990) was a Croatian painter associated with the naïve art movement. He helped to found the Association of Independent Naïve Artists of Croatia and he is considered one of the most influential independent naïve artists. ...

(1898–1990) Croatia *

Petar Smajić Petar Smajić (1910–1985) was a Croatian painter and sculptor. His works can be found at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, a ...

(1910–1985) Croatia * Peter Smith (born 1967) * Slavko Stolnik (1929–1991) Croatia *

Bunleua Sulilat Bunleua Sulilat (June 7, 1932 – August 10, 1996; often referred to as Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat; th, หลวงปู่บุญเหลือ สุรีรัตน์, , ; numerous variants of the spelling exist in Western languages ...

(1932–1996) * Dragiša Stanisavljević (born 1921) *

Henry Stockley Henry "Busdriver" Stockley (1892 – 1982) was an English primitive artist. Once called "the greatest inspired painter since William Blake", Henry Stockley was arguably the most important primitive artists active in the period 1930 to 1960. A ...

(1892–1982), Great Britain * Chaibia Talal (1929–2004) *

Lavoslav Torti Lavoslav Torti (27 February 1875 – 18 October 1942) was a Croatian sculptor. His works can be found at the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art in Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the c ...

(1875–1942) Croatia * Bracha Turner (1922–2011) * Ivan Večenaj (1920–2013) Croatia * Guido Vedovato (born 1961) Italy * Arthur Villeneuve (1910–1990) Canada * Mirko Virius (1889–1943) Croatia *

Miguel García Vivancos Miguel García Vivancos (April 19, 1895 in Mazarrón, Region of Murcia – January 23, 1972 in Córdoba) was a Spanish Naïve painter and anarchist. He was a member of the National Confederation of Labor ( es, Confederación Nacional del ...

(1895–1972) * Louis Vivin (1861–1936) * Elena Volkova (1915–2013) *

(1855–1942) * Scottie Wilson (1890–1972) *

Fred Yates Frederick Joseph Yates (25 July 1922 – 7 July 2008) was an English artist. Inspired by the Manchester painter L. S. Lowry, Yates set out to paint pictures about the lives of ordinary people: " ... It is the man in the street that I'm after, w ...

(1922–2008) *

Sergey Zagraevsky Sergey Zagraevsky (russian: Сергей Вольфгангович Заграевский, he, סרגיי זגרייבסקי; August 20, 1964 – 6 July 2020) was a Russian-Israeli painter, architectural historian, writer and theologian. Bi ...

(1964–2020) Russia

Museums and galleries

Croatian Museum of Naïve Art The Croatian Museum of Naïve Art ( hr, Hrvatski muzej naivne umjetnosti) is a fine art museum in Zagreb, Croatia dedicated to the work of naïve artists of the 20th century. The museum holdings consist of over 1,900 works of art - paintings, scul ...

, Zagreb, Croatia * Musée international d'Art naïf Anatole Jakovsky,

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, France *

Musée d'Art Naïf – Max Fourny The Musée d'Art Naïf – Max Fourny (Museum of Naïve Art–Max Fourny), also known as the Musée d'Art Brut & Art Singulier (Museum of Primitive Art and Singular Art), is a museum of naive art located in the Halle Saint-Pierre at 2, rue Ronsard, ...

, France *

International Museum of Naive Art International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, Vicq, France *

Museum of Bad Art The Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is a privately owned museum whose stated aim is "to celebrate the labor of artists whose work would be displayed and appreciated in no other forum". It was originally in Dedham, Massachusetts and is currently in Bo ...

, Massachusetts *

National Folk Decorative Art Museum The National Folk Decorative Art Museum ( uk, Національний Музей українського народного декоративного мистецтва) is a national museum dedicated to folk and decorative art in Kyiv, Ukra ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...