Three Celebrated Outsider Artists

Henry Darger, James Hampton, Adolf Wölfli

Outsider art is a term used to describe works of art created by individuals with little or no formal education in art and have little or no contact with the mainstream art world. The artists usually are social outsiders and often outcasts, influenced by factors such as mental illness and trauma, disability, financial hardship, and strong connections to a specific cultural or religious background. They often use unconventional materials, and create their work based on their personal experiences, inner thoughts and emotions, rather than following established artistic traditions or trends.  

Art creation appears to be an innate human means of expression and communication, and, for many outsider artists, a form of therapy. Outsider art is celebrated for its authenticity, emotional depth, and the way it challenges conventional notions of art and society.

The following short videos look at three of the most celebrated outsider artists: Henry Darger, James Hampton, and Adolf Wölfli. Their stories and art will help you have a better understanding of what is outsider art.   

.

Henry Darger (American, 1892-1973)

Henry Darger was a reclusive, friendless, and deeply religious (Catholic) janitor in Chicago who had a traumatic childhood. In his one-room apartment, he secretly wrote a 15,000+ page fantasy novel with hundreds of accompanying large mixed media artworks intended as illustrations. While he was on his deathbed, his work was discovered by his landlord and immediately recognized for its artistic importance.  

.

James Hampton (American, 1909-1960)

Hampton was a cook and janitor in Washington D.C. After having a series of religious visions, he began secretly making in a garage a monumental throne for the second coming of God. It was made from scavenged materials including old furniture pieces, cardboard, lightbulbs, jars, pins, mirror shards, and aluminum foil.

It was discovered by his landlord after his death, immediately recognized as artistically important, and is now displayed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes wrote that it "may well be the finest work of visionary religious art produced by an American." 

.

Adolf Wölfli (1864 – 1930, Swiss)

Psychotic, dangerously violent, and a convicted felon, Adolf Wölfli spent most of his life in a Swiss insane asylum. Asylum workers discovered that he would obsessively sketch all day when given colored pencils. His large artworks are noted for their imaginative and repeated designs and intricate detail. Many of the sketches have musical notations integrated into the designs and can be played on an instrument.

The following wordless video shows many of his amazing artworks.