New York's Outsider Art Fair is poppin' off in Chelsea this weekend, and we couldn't wait to bring you a sneak peek of our favorite pieces on view.
Spanning three floors of Center 548 (where Rodarte hosted their magical Spring/Summer 2015 show), this year's OAF sees about 50 booths, some from New York, even more from Europe and beyond. What we love about this fair is the idea of discovery. Every single one of the represented artists are self-taught—none of that "master's degree from RISD" or "family of artists" bullshit. This talent was discovered purely for some unique, inspiring take on a corner of the world. Storytellers, not pedigrees, are welcome.
And while the term "outsider art" has myriad interpretations, first stemming from interest in artworks made by psychiatric patients in 1920's Europe, French artist Jean Dubuffet described it well in 1949—sentiments that still hold strong. "By art brut [raw art], we mean works of art made by people unharmed by artistic culture, people who, contrary to what happens with intellectuals, are little or not at all influenced by mimicry, so that they draw everything from their inner selves and not from the conventions of classic art or the art in vogue."
Click into the slideshow for 15 inspiring artists to check out.
Outsider Art Fair 2015 runs this weekend, January 31 and February 1
Center 548
548 West 22nd Street
New York, New York 10011
MAP
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Francisco de Silva, Untitled. Booth: Galeria Estação. Photos by Jeanine Celeste Pang
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Hector Hyppolite only painted for four years at the famous Port-au-Prince Centre d'Art before dying of a heart attack. The former voodoo Haitian priest was fixated on still life and women—hence 1945's Femme du Monde. Booth: Arte del Pueblo.
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Shadowbox by Kentucky-born artist, Mike Goodlett. Booth: Institute 193 ![]()
New Orleans-based artist Bruce Davenport Jr. lived in a FEMA trailer after Hurricane Katrina, and now creates art that depicts civic gatherings, Mike Tyson, and high school marching bands. Booth: Louis B. James![]()
Spanning three floors of Center 548 (where Rodarte hosted their magical Spring/Summer 2015 show), this year's OAF sees about 50 booths, some from New York, even more from Europe and beyond. What we love about this fair is the idea of discovery. Every single one of the represented artists are self-taught—none of that "master's degree from RISD" or "family of artists" bullshit. This talent was discovered purely for some unique, inspiring take on a corner of the world. Storytellers, not pedigrees, are welcome.
And while the term "outsider art" has myriad interpretations, first stemming from interest in artworks made by psychiatric patients in 1920's Europe, French artist Jean Dubuffet described it well in 1949—sentiments that still hold strong. "By art brut [raw art], we mean works of art made by people unharmed by artistic culture, people who, contrary to what happens with intellectuals, are little or not at all influenced by mimicry, so that they draw everything from their inner selves and not from the conventions of classic art or the art in vogue."
Click into the slideshow for 15 inspiring artists to check out.
Outsider Art Fair 2015 runs this weekend, January 31 and February 1
Center 548
548 West 22nd Street
New York, New York 10011
MAP
Francisco de Silva, Untitled. Booth: Galeria Estação. Photos by Jeanine Celeste Pang 
Hector Hyppolite only painted for four years at the famous Port-au-Prince Centre d'Art before dying of a heart attack. The former voodoo Haitian priest was fixated on still life and women—hence 1945's Femme du Monde. Booth: Arte del Pueblo.
Shadowbox by Kentucky-born artist, Mike Goodlett. Booth: Institute 193 
New Orleans-based artist Bruce Davenport Jr. lived in a FEMA trailer after Hurricane Katrina, and now creates art that depicts civic gatherings, Mike Tyson, and high school marching bands. Booth: Louis B. James