This list, of art makers who are considered Outsider artists, includes self-taught, visionary art and naïve art makers known for the creation of artworks that are primarily visual in nature such as drawings, paintings, sculptures, and visionary environments. The entries are in alphabetical order by surname. Birth and death dates are included.

First coined by the critic Roger Cardinal in 1972, ‘Outsider Art’ expanded on the term ‘Art Brut’, created by Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s to describe works produced beyond the boundaries of the mainstream art world.

Outsider art is art made by self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. The term outsider art was coined in 1972 as the title of a book by art critic Roger Cardinal. [1] .

Aug 19, 2019 · Though the origins and true definition of outsider art are varied, French painter Jean Dubuffet is commonly accepted as the movement’s founding figure. In the 1940s, Dubuffet began collecting works of art made in unusual contexts by artists such as Heinrich Anton Müller and Aloïse Corbaz.

Jan 30, 2022 · With the quality of these ranging from high to low, the creativity that’s on display is never up for debate. So, let’s take a look at ten of the best outsider artists today, starting with… Related: 10 Artists With Insanely Unique Art Forms.

List of famous Outsider Art artists, with images, bios, and information about their notable works. All the greatest artists associated with the Outsider Art movement are included here, along with clickable names for more details on that particular painter or sculptor.

Aug 24, 2011 · From the former slave Bill Traylor and orphaned Adolf Wölfli to the gifted savant George Widener and Baptist reverend Howard Finster, we’ve assembled the best of the bunch. Click through our...

Feb 20, 2025 · outsider art, any work of art produced by an untrained idiosyncratic artist who is typically unconnected to the conventional art world—not by choice but by circumstance. The “classic” figures of outsider art were socially or culturally marginal figures.

Feb 15, 2025 · A term popularized by Roger Cardinal in 1972, Outsider Art is a category of Art that's both intoxicating and elusive—works created beyond the sanctioned corridors of academia, by self-taught artists or those working from the margins of society.

Mar 25, 2020 · Outsider artists make art for themselves, recording their life experiences and documenting historical events. Many outsider artists are known as visionary artists. Some create art because they believe they have received a message from God or some other spiritual or intelligence source.