Lypophrenia

Jean Dubuffet’s original 1945 term for the works that he collected and revered; later adopted by the Collection de l’Art Brut at Lausanne. Art Brut means ‘Raw Art’. Raw because it is ‘uncooked’ or ‘unadulterated’ by culture. Raw because it is creation in its most direct and uninhibited form. Not only were the works unique and original but their creators were seen to exist outside established culture and society. The purest of Art Brut creators would not consider themselves artists, nor would they even feel that they were producing art at all.

Art Brut is visual creation at its purest – a spontaneous psychic flow from brain to paper. No works of Art Brut are allowed to be exhibited away from the Collection at Lausanne. Equally, the name ‘Art Brut’ is not permitted to be used except as a description of the works in the Collection. Similarly, the Collection de l’Art Brut insists that it alone can officially designate any newly discovered works as Art Brut.