A global history of self-taught artists advocating for a nuanced understanding of modern and contemporary art often challenged by the establishment
When the art world has paid attention to makers from outside the cultural establishment, including so-called outsider and self-taught artists, it has generally been within limiting categories. Yet these artists, including many women, people with disabilities, and people of color, have had a transformative influence on the history of modern art. Responding to growing interest in these artists, this book offers a nuanced history of their work and how it has been understood from the early twentieth century to the present day.
Nonconformers includes work by well-known figures such as Henry Darger, Hilma af Klint, and Bill Traylor alongside many other artists who deserve widespread recognition. After reviewing how self-taught artists factored into key movements of twentieth-century art, the book shifts to highlighting the voices of contemporary practitioners through new interviews with artists William Scott, Mamadou Cisse, and George Widener. An international group of contributors addresses topics such as the development of the Black Folk Art movement in America and l'Art Brut in France, the creative process of self-taught artists working outside of traditional studios, and the themes of figuration, landscape, and abstraction. Global in scope and with chronological breadth, this alternative narrative is an essential introduction to the genre long known as Outsider Art.
Title: Nonconformers: A New History of Self-Taught Artists
Author: Slominski, Lisa
ISBN: 9780300260229
Binding:
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: 2022-04-12
Number of Pages: 400
Weight: 1.8005 kg
[A] handsomely produced book . . . A section on the self-taught architecture in grand structures by Sabato Simon Rodia, builder of the Watts Tower in Los Angeles, and Nek Chand Saini, creator of the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, India, gives welcome attention to constructed monumental projects that self-taught designers imagine but rarely build. -David D'Arcy, Art Newspaper
Featuring William Edmondson, Bill Traylor, Aloise Corbaz and more, this book highlights marginalized artists. -New York Times Book Review
An essential addition to any discerning art lover's collection . . . An informative and important companion for art aficionados, budding curators and total novices alike. -Vanity Fair London
Slominski offers new insights here into the influence of artists such as Hilma af Klint on the development of modern art, and presents interviews with contemporary self-taught artists such as Mamadou Cisse. -Apollo
Hilma af Klint, the woman behind the abstract 1907 painting is just one art outsider who gets a more nuanced reappraisal in this fascinating new book. -Artists & Illustrators 'Book of the Month'
Nonconformers underlines the relevance of self-taught artists, be it aesthetic, spiritual, or practical. It's a must read for those who wish to expand their knowledge of Art in totality. -Dr. Joyce J. Scott, visual artist/MacArthur Fellow
A provocative and meticulous study of over 60 self-taught artists from around the world. Even more importantly, it questions the history, includes essays from global experts, and redefines the entire genre. -Iain Jackson, University of Liverpool
The artist Lonnie Holley recently referred to himself as 'self-taught...the same way Neil Armstrong might have described himself as a self-taught moon walker.' Lisa Slominski's new book Nonconformers approaches creativity with the same spirit-that the work of artists like Holley and others is expansive and without bounds. It points to a future where these artists lead the way, as they have all along. -Annalise Flynn, independent art historian and curator