Charles Steffen's Outsider Art Exhibition at Andrew Edlin Gallery Explores Plant-Human Hybrids

From January 21 to February 27, the Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City showcases a second collection of drawings by Charles Steffen. Steffen, who passed away in 1995 after living with schizophrenia, produced his art on butcher paper, merging human and plant forms. His drawings, created from 1989 onwards, were first exhibited at the 2006 Outsider Art Fair. The gallery also manages the estate of Henry Darger. Steffen's nudes, including Red Headed Stripper at the End of Her Act (1991), reflect influences from Reginald Marsh and Jack Levine, evolving into botanical figures. Works like Nude Reclining and Hairy Nude (1992) incorporate awkward shapes reminiscent of xylem and phloem, echoing artists such as Adolf Wölfli and Martín Ramírez. The evolution of the Sunflower Nude, transitioning from the One-Eyed Nude to Sunflower (1994), illustrates this change. Steffen's handwritten notes reference Willem de Kooning, merging eccentricity with visionary art, while his style oscillates between folk-art caricature and surreal plant-human hybrids, pushing the limits of outsider art.