Art extraordinary

Art Extraordinary is another term used to describe ‘Outsider Art’, l’Art Brut’ or ‘Visionary art’. It is the name by which such art is now known in Scotland. The term was devised by Joyce Laing who is director of The Art Extraordinary Trust which holds the Scottish Collection of Art Extraordinary.

The term ‘Outsider Art’ was first used by Roger Cardinal, author of the first English language book on this subject. This was an effort to define the French expression l’Art Brut which was originated by artist Jean Dubuffet when he was introduced to work created by patients in mental institutions. It is now widely accepted among art writers and historians as the chosen definition for work which has been created by artists that meet a number of criteria including, self taught, compulsive, visionary and often those who have had mental health issues.

The definition Art Extraordinary was devised in order to reduce the potential alienation felt by those labeled ‘Outsider’. The focus of the term was shifted from the artists to the works they created often in ‘extraordinary’ materials or of ‘extraordinary’ visionary subjects. The term Art Extraordinary highlights the achievements of the artists rather than the obstacles they face.

Artists Extraordinary
*Angus McPhee (1916 – 1997), was a Scottish outsider artist, who made his art (garments woven from grass, sheep wool and beech leaves) while being admitted in the Craig Dunain Psychiatric Hospital near Inverness.

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