Collection de l'Art Brut

Collection de l'Art Brut
Sailko · CC BY 3.0 · source
Name	Collection de l'Art Brut
Native name	Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne
Caption	Entrance to the Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne
Established	1976
Location	Lausanne, Switzerland
Type	art museum, outsider art

Collection de l'Art Brut is a museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, devoted to art brut, outsider art, and self-taught artistic practices. The institution holds a major corpus assembled from international sources and is situated within Swiss cultural networks linking Lausanne to Zurich, Geneva, Paris, London, New York, Moscow. Its holdings and programs have intersected with exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum.

History

The museum originated from the initiatives of Jean Dubuffet, whose writings and exhibitions connected with collectors such as Adolf Wölfli enthusiasts, August Natterer scholars and advocates within Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich circles. In 1945 Dubuffet created the notion of "art brut" through contacts with galleries in Paris and exchanges with dealers linked to Peggy Guggenheim and curators associated with André Breton, which later intersected with postwar debates at institutions like Museum of Modern Art and Centre Pompidou. In 1976 the city of Lausanne established a permanent home that consolidated donations from private collectors connected to Paul Guillaume legacies and collectors who worked with figures in Basel and Geneva. Over subsequent decades the collection expanded during collaborations with curators who had practiced at Tate Modern, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, engaging in loans with institutions such as Museum Ludwig and Stedelijk Museum.

Collection and Holdings

The holdings encompass hundreds of works by prominent subjects ranging from Adolf Wölfli and Aloïse Corbaz to Henry Darger and Madge Gill, and include pieces by August Natterer, Nek Chand, Sonia Delaunay-adjacent outsider practitioners. The archive contains drawings, paintings, sculptures, installations and notebooks linked to creators like Guo Fengyi, James Castle, Séraphine Louis, Emmanuel H.-period practitioners and artists resonant with Jean Fautrier and Paul Klee dialogues. The museum also preserves documentary collections, correspondence from collectors tied to Jean Dubuffet, acquisition records connected with J. Paul Getty Museum exchanges, and ephemera associated with exhibitions at Kunstmuseum Basel and The Art Institute of Chicago. The catalogue raisonnés and inventories reference international donors and collectors in networks including Hans Prinzhorn archives, Victor Brauner correspondences, and materials comparable to holdings at Prinzhorn Collection.

Founders and Key Figures

Primary founders and donors include figures who worked with Jean Dubuffet and municipal authorities of Lausanne as well as private collectors in the orbit of Paul Taylor and Janine Charrat; curators who shaped the institution had histories at Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Museum Ludwig, and Kunsthalle Bern. Notable scholarly contributors include researchers linked to Hans Prinzhorn studies, historians associated with Yale University and Columbia University departments, and conservators who trained at École du Louvre. Directors and curators have collaborated with curators from MoMA PS1, exhibition teams from Serpentine Galleries, and scholars from University of Lausanne.

Exhibition and Presentation

Exhibitions have ranged from monographic displays of Adolf Wölfli and Henry Darger to thematic presentations juxtaposing works by Aloïse Corbaz, Séraphine Louis, Madge Gill, and international self-taught creators associated with Nek Chand and Guo Fengyi. The museum has mounted loans and exchanges with Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, and regional institutions such as Musée d'Orsay and Kunsthaus Zürich. Curatorial programs have engaged guest curators from Museum of Modern Art and collaborative projects with publics similar to initiatives at Documenta and Venice Biennale partner pavilions. Presentation strategies reference museographic practices seen at Design Museum and Fondation Beyeler.

Research, Conservation, and Cataloguing

Research activities involve cataloguing projects comparable to those at Prinzhorn Collection and collaborative scholarships with departments at University of Lausanne, University of Geneva, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, and international partners such as Columbia University and Yale University. Conservation teams work with methodologies used at Musée du Louvre, Getty Conservation Institute, and Tate Conservation for works on paper, textile, and vernacular sculpture, and maintain accession records aligned with standards at ICOM and archival practices similar to Bibliothèque nationale de France. Scholarly output includes catalogue raisonnés and exhibition catalogues that circulate through publishing networks linked to Thames & Hudson and Hatje Cantz.

Reception and Influence

Critical reception has placed the institution at the center of debates involving Jean Dubuffet, André Breton, and critics who write for publications like Artforum, ArtReview, The Burlington Magazine, and reviewers associated with The New York Times. Its influence extends to contemporary curators at Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Museum of Modern Art, and educators at Royal College of Art and École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, informing exhibitions at Documenta and thematic strands at the Venice Biennale. The collection has been cited in scholarship alongside the Prinzhorn Collection and has shaped acquisitions at institutions such as Museum Ludwig and Kunsthaus Zürich.

Accessibility and Public Programs

Public programs include guided tours, workshops, and educational partnerships with University of Lausanne, local schools in Lausanne, and cultural organizations like Pro Helvetia and municipal cultural services linked to Canton of Vaud. Outreach initiatives have collaborated with international residency programs associated with Cité internationale des arts and publishing projects with partners like Gallimard and Flammarion. The museum's accessibility measures reference inclusive practices promoted by ICOM and regional cultural policies of Switzerland.

Category:Museums in Lausanne Category:Outsider art museums