Baptiste Brun on Dubuffet's Art Brut and Critique of Primitivism
Baptiste Brun, art historian and co-curator of the exhibition 'Jean Dubuffet, un barbare en Europe' at Mucem in Marseille (until September 2, 2019), discusses Dubuffet's concept of art brut and its critique of primitivism in an interview with Claire Margat. Brun's book 'Jean Dubuffet et la besogne de l'art brut. Critique du primitivisme' (Presses du réel, 560 p., 32 euros) underpins the exhibition. Brun explains that Dubuffet's 'barbarian' figure challenges European anthropocentrism and white supremacy after WWII, borrowing from Henri Michaux's 'Un barbare en Asie'. The exhibition highlights Dubuffet's connections with anthropologists like Lévi-Strauss, Patrick O'Reilly, Eugène Pittard, and Georges-Henri Rivière, as well as surrealists such as Georges Limbour. Brun distinguishes art brut from folk art: art brut resists social categorization, emphasizing irreducible singularity. 'La besogne de l'art brut' refers to the capacity to declassify works, resisting psychiatric, folklorist, and psychological assignments. Dubuffet systematized this through the Compagnie de l'art brut.
Key facts
- Baptiste Brun is an art historian and co-curator of the exhibition 'Jean Dubuffet, un barbare en Europe' at Mucem, Marseille.
- The exhibition runs until September 2, 2019.
- Brun's book 'Jean Dubuffet et la besogne de l'art brut. Critique du primitivisme' is published by Presses du réel (560 p., 32 euros).
- Dubuffet's 'barbarian' figure critiques European anthropocentrism and white supremacy after WWII.
- The phrase 'Un barbare en Europe' references Henri Michaux's 'Un barbare en Asie'.
- Dubuffet had connections with anthropologists Lévi-Strauss, Patrick O'Reilly, Eugène Pittard, and Georges-Henri Rivière.
- Dubuffet knew surrealists like Georges Limbour, who collaborated on Documents with Leiris and Bataille.
- Art brut, according to Dubuffet, resists social categorization and emphasizes irreducible singularity.
- 'La besogne de l'art brut' means the capacity to declassify works, resisting psychiatric, folklorist, and psychological assignments.
- Dubuffet systematized his approach through the Compagnie de l'art brut.
Entities
Artists
- Jean Dubuffet
- Henri Michaux
- Albert Lubaki
- Georges Limbour
- Michel Leiris
- Georges Bataille
- Walter Morgenthaler
- Gaston Ferdière
- Charles Ladame
- Jean Oury
- Claude Lévi-Strauss
- Patrick O'Reilly
- Eugène Pittard
- Georges-Henri Rivière
- Arthur Rimbaud
- Wölfli
Institutions
- Mucem
- Presses du réel
- Compagnie de l'art brut
- Fondation Dubuffet
- Musée d'art moderne et contemporain de Saint-Étienne-Métropole
- Musée d'ethnographie de Genève
- Adagp
Locations
- Marseille
- France
- Europe
- Asia
- Paris
- Saint-Étienne
- Geneva
- Switzerland
Sources
- artpress —