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WHAT IS OUTSIDER, RAW, VISIONARY ART ?

While the first use of the term "outsider" can't be specifically attributed to any one person, during the 1970s, interest in works of art by untrained artists began to grow. Collectors of this work started to call the artists "outsiders" because they were outside the mainstream of the American Art Community.


What is "Self-Taught Art", "Contemporary Folk Art", "Outsider Art", "Art Brut" or "Visionary" art ? Who are its creators ? No matter what you call it, there's no denying the visceral appeal of raw creativity unbound by rules, class, or education. Long-overdue attention is finally being awarded to self-taught artists, so often marginalized by race, economics, and social structure.

The status of Outsider Art has grown in the art world-with its own canon of classic works, artists, dealers, and museum exhibitions. Outsider Art has become a very important genre in American Art. Outsider Artists have gained much deserved recognition over the last three decades.