Rediscovering Pavel Karpov's Lost 1926 Study on Art by the Mentally Ill

Pavel Ivanovich Karpov's 1926 book 'Creativity of the Mentally Ill' has been largely forgotten, unlike Hans Prinzhorn's similar 1922 work from Berlin. Karpov, who headed the Commission for the Creativity of Mentally Ill at the Russian Academy of Artistic Science (RAKhN), developed his theory independently from Prinzhorn's approach. His extensive collection of patient artworks was lost during Stalinist purges in the 1930s, when Karpov and many RAKhN colleagues perished. This article represents the first comprehensive examination of Karpov's methodology and theoretical framework. Karpov engaged with philosopher Gustav Shpet's epistemological work, creating an original contribution to clinical literature on psychotic art. The study situates Karpov's research within the specific Kunstwissenschaft practiced at RAKhN between 1921 and 1931. Published in ARTMargins Volume 11, Issue 1-2, the analysis spans pages 126-151. The content remains subscription-only through MIT Press.