Fundación Mapfre Explores Prinzhorn's Legacy in 'La otra orilla de la vanguardia'
From September 24, 2026, to January 10, 2027, Fundación Mapfre in Madrid will host 'La otra orilla de la vanguardia,' curated by Pilar Soler Montes, at Paseo de Recoletos, 23. This exhibition delves into Hans Prinzhorn's 1921 work 'Actividad plástica de los enfermos mentales,' showcasing 5,000 creations by 500 patients from the psychiatric clinic at Heidelberg University. Prinzhorn's ideas significantly shaped Jean Dubuffet's art brut, which was embraced by surrealists such as Paul Éluard. The exhibition contrasts these patient artworks with those of Emil Nolde, Kurt Schwitters, George Grosz, Max Ernst, and Unica Zürn, while also addressing the Nazi misuse of mental illness during the 1937 'Entartete Kunst' exhibition, emphasizing Prinzhorn's influence on both art and medical perceptions.
Key facts
- Exhibition title: 'La otra orilla de la vanguardia' at Fundación Mapfre, Madrid.
- Dates: September 24, 2026, to January 10, 2027.
- Curator: Pilar Soler Montes.
- Hans Prinzhorn collected approximately 5,000 works by about 500 patients at Heidelberg University psychiatric clinic from 1919 to 1921.
- Prinzhorn's 1921 book influenced Jean Dubuffet's art brut and was praised by surrealists, including Paul Éluard.
- The Nazi regime used the link between mental illness and modern art in the 1937 'Entartete Kunst' exhibition in Munich.
- Dubuffet co-founded the Compagnie de l'Art Brut in 1948 and organized a 1949 show at Galerie René Drouin, Paris.
- The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris held the first major public museum exhibition on the subject in 1967.
Entities
Artists
- Hans Prinzhorn
- Karl Wilmanns
- Jean Dubuffet
- Emil Nolde
- Else Blankenhorn
- Kurt Schwitters
- Gabriele Urbach
- August Klotz
- August Klett
- George Grosz
- Max Ernst
- Paul Éluard
- André Breton
- Philippe Soupault
- Robert Desnos
- Henri Michaux
- Unica Zürn
- Antonin Artaud
- Barbara Suckfüll
- Pilar Soler Montes
Institutions
- Fundación Mapfre
- Heidelberg University
- Collection de l'Art Brut
- Brücke Museum
- Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
- Museo Reina Sofía
- Archivo Lafuente
- Compagnie de l'Art Brut
- Galerie René Drouin
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de l'Hôpital Sainte-Anne (MASHHA)
- Nolde Stiftung Seebüll
- VEGAP
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Heidelberg
- Germany
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Berlin
- Munich
- Paris
- France
- Werneck