The Outsider Art Fair or OAF is an international exhibition that features outsider artists who work in a variety of mediums. It is a biannual fair occurring in New York City and Paris, the former taking place in January and the latter in October. Plans were made for a Basel edition in 2018 to run alongside

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...

, but has since been postponed until further notice.

History

The Outsider Art Fair was founded in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1993 by Sanford Smith as a way to help outsider artists exhibit and showcase their work. In 2013 the fair was bought by the art dealer Andrew Edlin through the company Wide Open Arts, LLC. The Outsider Art Fair originated in

, but under new leadership has been able to expand to Paris, the first edition of which took place in October 2013. The fair takes place twice annually: with the New York edition taking place in January and the

Paris Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

edition in October. With owners changing hand so has the venue for the two editions, the New York happening at the

Metropolitan Pavilion The Metropolitan Pavilion is an exhibition venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1992, the venue offers four loft event spaces in one location. The Metropolitan Pavilion is situated next door to the o ...

and Paris changing venue to Hôtel du Duc. The

venue has changed hands once again by moving to Atelier Richelieu in 2018. There was a plan to expand the fair to Basel in June 2018 that would take place along with Art Basel, but plans were subsequently called off in a statement by Andrew Edlin.

New York

Active since 1993, The New York edition of the Outsider Art Fair celebrated its 27th year in January 2019. Sandy Smith, who was previously known for The Fall Antiques Show in 1979, founded the Outsider Art Fair following suggestions from close advisors. The name of the fair is said to have originated from Roger Cardinal's book ''Outsider Art'' (1972); Cardinal coined the term

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 illustrates e ...

as an alternative to the French

Art Brut Art Brut are a Berlin-based English and German indie rock band. Their debut album, '' Bang Bang Rock & Roll'', was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, ''It's a Bit Complicated'', released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Je ...

. The first edition of the fair took place in Manhattan's

Puck Building __FORCETOC__ The Puck Building is a historic building located in the Nolita neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It occupies the block bounded by Lafayette, Houston, Mulberry and Jersey Streets. An example of the German Rundbogenstil style o ...

and most recently has been located at the Metropolitan Pavilion. In 2012, Andrew Edlin offered financial support to the fair which was declining in popularity by recruiting vendors and other assistance, and in 2013 acquired the Outsider Art Fair under his company Wide Open Arts. After its acquisition by Wide Open Arts, the Outsider Art Fair is said to have tripled its attendance at its New York location and Wide Open Arts then launched the Paris edition of the fair. Since its acquisition, the New York Outsider Art Fair has been located at Center 548, which was an event venue that no longer exists, and the Metropolitan Pavilion, and generally hosts over 60 exhibitors.

Paris

Originating in

, the conceptual basis of

has an invariably deep and structuralized history in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The Outsider Art Fair Paris is therefore, a quintessential part of the integral congruency that withholds the partnership between OAF New York, both of which annually premier at the end of each season every year. The Outsider Art Fair Paris, taking place mid- to late October, originally premiered in Paris, France, in 2013. The inaugural event was to take place at l' Hotel Le A, and had held thousands of visitors. The inaugural contributors included the American Primitive Gallery in New York, Galerie Christian Berst – Paris, Galerie Luc Berthier – Paris, Henry Boxer Gallery – London, Chris Byrne + Marquand Books – Seattle, WA, Cavin-Morris Gallery -New York, the Creative Growth Art Center – Oakland, Andrew Edlin Gallery – New York, Fleisher-Ollman Gallery – Philadelphia, the Garde Rail Gallery – Austin, Grimaldis Gallery – Baltimore, Gallery at HAI – New York, and the Karen Lennox Gallery – Chicago, IL. The event, initially situated conveniently at l'Hotel Le A is just blocks away from the annual FIAC, Four Internationale D'Art Contemporain, or the International Fair of Contemporary Art ( FIAC ) at La Grand Palais. FIAC, initially beginning in 1974 Paris has been led since 2003 by

Jennifer Flay Jennifer Flay is the director of the Fiac (Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain). Early life Flay was born in Auckland in 1959. She came to France in 1980 to study art history at the University of Nice. Career Flay opened a gallery in 19 ...

, a New Zealand born French gallery owner and the lead creative director of FIAC. The Outsider Art Fair has since been relocated to l'Hôtel du Duc at 22 Rue de la Michodière in

Paris France Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Sin ...

. Beginning in 2015 the fair had been relocated to accommodate a greater amount of art dealers totaling 38 vendors in all. The fair has most recently been relocated to Atelier Richelieu in the past year of 2018 although various Artists Talks and lectures will continue to incur through L'Hotel le Duc. The new location at Atelier Richelieu, located in the 2nd Arrondissement is more accessible to guests of FIAC at La Grand Palais and supports exhibitions and vendors who work in solidarity with

in supporting self taught artists who are working outside of the coincidental linearity of mainstream mass culture.

Controversy

The Outsider Art Fair has often been the subject to critique and discussion. The purpose of The Outsider Art Fair is to exhibit work by self-taught and unknown artists to a wider audience. It has been speculated that exhibiting outsider art in mainstream galleries and private collections can take the spotlight away from the stories and lives of the makers, by focusing on the art as objects. It has also been observed that because of the popularity of The Outsider Art Fair, certain art styles and aesthetics quickly become popularized and consequently redundant. The precarious experiences of outsider artists become diluted when experienced by an audience and the deeper implications of the work are less considered. Since Outsider Art is often created by people who have been incarcerated, institutionalized or otherwise marginalized, their role as arts practitioners is more contentious than the actual appeal of the work itself. Artists experience a brief period of prolific art making in their lives and afterwards do not produce anything. The task of defining art as outsider has often been subject to critique. The term outsider is highly popularized and encapsulates a huge variety of art styles, makers, and stories. An example of this is the upcoming Atlanta Biennial, which presents works made by artists from southeastern states, but rejects the notion of the works being outsider, or even folk. Organizations like the Souls Grown Deep Foundation aim to preserve the work of artists in the African American south. All are self-taught artists, though their intentions and context are slightly different. * Anne marie Grgich — Books, Collage, Painting * Della Wells – Collage * Sharon Kerry-Harlan — Quilt, Painting, Mixed Media * Rosemery Ollison – Drawing, Sculpture *

Bernard Gilardi Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brave ...

– Painting *

Adolf Wölfli Adolf Wölfli (February 29, 1864 – November 6, 1930) (occasionally spelled Adolf Woelfli or Adolf Wolfli) was a Swiss artist who was one of the first artists to be associated with the Art Brut or outsider art label. Early life Wölfli was born ...

– Drawing * Alcides Peirera dos Santos — Painting * Francis Marié – Mixed Media *

Eugene Andolsek Eugene Andolsek (1921 – November 17, 2008) was an American artistic draughtsman. He is considered an outsider artist. Life Eugene Andolsek was born in Adrian, West Virginia, United States. He grew up with his mother's homemade quilts and crochet ...

– Ink Drawing *

Eddie Arning Eddie Arning (1898–1993) was an American artist. He was born in the farming community of Germania, Texas. As a young adult, he was admitted into a Texas mental institution for violent acts. In 1964, after 60 years in the institution, he was in ...

– Painting *

Vahakn Arslanian Vahagn is a god in Armenian mythology. Vahagn may also refer to: * Vahagn (name), an Armenian male given name *''Invocations to Vahakn'', Op. 54, no. 1 (1945), a composition for piano and percussion by the American composer Alan Hovhaness Alan ...

— Drawing, Painting *

Beverly Baker Beverly Baker Fleitz (March 13, 1930 – April 29, 2014) was a women's tennis player from the United States who was active in the late 1940s and during the 1950s. According to John Olliff and Lance Tingay of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Dail ...

– Drawing *

Morton Bartlett Morton Bartlett (1909 in Chicago – 1992 in Boston) was an American freelance photographer and graphic designer who, from 1936 to 1963, devoted much of his spare time to creating and photographing a series of intricately carved lifelike plaste ...

– Photography *

Konstantin Bokov Konstantin Bokov (born 1940 in Shostka, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian born American artist who creates mixed media assemblages, sculptures, and paintings while most often employing found materials and objects. Biography He is the son of the poet and so ...

– paintings, sculptures, assemblages *

Eugène Gabritschevsky Eugène (or Eugen) Gabritschevsky (December 1893 – April 5, 1979) was a Russian biologist and artist. He was born into a comfortable family of scientists from Imperial Russia. His father was a renowned bacteriologist, and worked with Louis Pas ...

– Painting, Drawing * Richard Greaves — Photography *

Raphaël Lonné Raphael was an Italian Renaissance painter. Raphael or Raphaël may also refer to: Music * Raphael (band), a Japanese rock band active 1997–2001 * ''Raphael'' (opera), an 1894 opera by Anton Arensky * Raphael (musician), American musician and ...

– Drawing * Purvis Young – Collage, Painting *

Joseph Yoakum Joseph Elmer Yoakum (c. February 22, 1891 – December 25, 1972) was an American self-taught painter. He was of African-American and possibly of Native American–descent, and was known for his landscape paintings in the outsider art-style. He ...

– Drawing * Scottie Wilson — Drawing * George Widener – Drawing, Mixed Media *

Mary Whitfield Mary Whitfield (died 1795) was a British stage actress. She was born Mary Lane, but following her marriage to John Whitfield she appeared on the stage as Mrs Whitfield. She acted in Leicester and Norwich before moving to London in 1774, where sh ...

– Watercolour *

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was an American self-taught artist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the course of fifty years, from the 1930s until his death in 1983, Von Bruenchenhein produced an expansive oeuvre of poetry, photography, pain ...

– Painting, Photography *

Willem Van Genk Willem van Genk (April 2, 1927 – May 12, 2005) was a Dutch painter and graphic artist, celebrated as one of the leading masters of Outsider Art. Throughout his life he lived with severe mental distress, experiencing symptoms related to autism a ...

— Painting, Drawing, Mixed Media * Ionel Talpazan – Drawing, Painting * Charles Steffen – Drawing *

Janet Sobel Janet Sobel (May 31, 1893 – November 11, 1968), born Jennie Olechovsky (occ. Lechovsky), was a Ukrainian-born American Abstract Expressionist painter whose career started mid-life, at age forty-five in 1938. Sobel pioneered the drip painting te ...

– Painting * Mary Tillman Smith — Painting * Jon Serl – Painting * William Scott – Painting * Auguste Forestier – Sculpture *

Gertrude Morgan Sister Gertrude Morgan (April 7, 1900 – July 8, 1980) was a self-taught African-American artist, musician, poet and preacher. Born in LaFayette, Alabama, she relocated to New Orleans in 1939, where she lived and worked until her death in 1980. ...

— Drawing, Painting, Installation *

Judith Scott Judith Scott may refer to: * Judith Scott (artist) (1943 – 2005), American fiber artist * Judith Scott (American actress) (born 1965), American television actress * Judith Scott (British actress) Judi Scott (1957–2018) was a British the ...

– Mixed Media, Sculpture *

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 ...

– Painting

References

{{reflist Art fairs