It is fascinating what an immense influence the artworks of psychologically ill people have had on the course of 20th Century art history.
Artistic icons such as Jean Tinguely, Paul Klee and Jean Dubuffet were clearly interested in the representatives of the Art Brut, in the subtle line between the imaginary and obsession, dreams, pain and illness, these insidious evils that emerge unseen from our unconscious.
In 1906 Dr Morgenthaler, a psychiatrist at Bern Psychiatric Hospital, started to collect and photograph the drawings, paintings and various objects designed by his patients. This collection of works by schizophrenic artists would later prove to be a crucial link in the chain, which has inspired modern art and its creators until today.
With the Bern hospital Waldau as a starting point, which has a big collection of works by schizophrenic artists, filmmakers Herve Nisic and Michel Beretti investigate the ongoing fascination for Art-Brut-artists.
Contributors include Michel Thevoz, founder of the Collection de l'Art Brut de Lausanne, the sculptor Armin Heusser, Daniel Baumann, Curator of the Adolf-Wolfli-Stiftung, as well as the artists Bernhard Luginbuhl, Daniel Spoerri and Bernhard Gahl.
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Citation
Main credits
Beretti, Michel (filmmaker)
Nisic, Hervé (film director)
Nisic, Hervé (editor of moving image work)
Nisic, Hervé (cinematographer)
Dill, Heinz (film producer)
Garbar, Elisabeth (film producer)
Gougeon, Christophe (film producer)
Illness; art; artwork; art history; psychology; schizophrenia; "Raw Beauty"; Icarus Films; Bern Psychiatric Hospital; art brut; outsider art; Jean Tinguely; Paul Klee; Jean Dubuffet; Michel Thevoz; Armin Heusser; Daniel Baumann; Bernhard Luginbuhl; Daniel Spoerri; Bernhard Gahl; Switzerland; Europe;
