In The Know:
Outsider & Self-Taught Art
“Outsider Art” has become an umbrella term for artists that are somehow on the margins of the art world. Whether that means they create from within a mental institution, espouse unconventional religious views, find themselves vagrants, latecomers, or retired NFL players, what that all have in common is that they are self-taught, and work out outside of the mainstream art establishment. Originally coined in 1972 by British art critic Roger Cardinal as an English equivalent for what artist Jean Dubuffet identified as “Art Brut,” Outsider Art’s definition has since broadened. “Though it can be a point of contention among historians, critics, and artists, now people use the terms ‘self-taught,’ ‘folk art,’ ‘outsider art’ and ‘naïve art’ interchangeably," notes Kara Swami, an EBTH Select Consignment Specialist who holds a Masters Degree in Art History. “These artists don’t follow current trends or movements in the mainstream art world, they’re just creating for their own pleasure.”
Pittsburgh’s Pat McArdle was taken by these outliers, and has been collecting their works, organizing their shows, and giving them platforms for decades. Many of the artists in his current EBTH sale are self-taught, whether he discovered them on the street, in the pages of a calendar, or in an old folks home. “I met Chiaka Howze while he was painting on the street outside of a library,” he recalls, of the oft-homeless artist who at one point slept in his art cart at night.
Occasionally, artists of this genre cross over to the mainstream, like Howard Finster (1916-2001), a Georgia-based folk artist who designed the cover of the Little Creatures Talking Heads album, and whom McArdle befriended. Finster, who had no formal training, now has works displayed in the National Gallery of Art. “What I like about these artists is that they all have exceptional qualities,” McArdle explains. “They’re chock-full of stories, and they observe on several levels. Their eyes are different than ours.”
EBTH Cincinnati - Blue Ash
14K 1.00 CTW Diamond Band
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Mesh Bib Necklace
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Mid Century Modern Style Walnut Sculpted Front Nightstand Commode
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Rookwood Pottery Floral Basket Art Tile, Early to Mid 20th Century
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Alfio Grasso Oil Painting of Seated Nude "Sunset," 1970
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Eastlake Style Birdseye Maple and Single Drawer Desk, Late 19th Century
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18K Cyma Quartz Wristwatch
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José M. Lima Floral Still Life Oil Painting, 2023
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Leif Janek Abstract Acrylic Painting, 21st Century
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Waterford "Prentiss" Crystal Candlesticks With Rectangular Waterford Clock
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Czech Barolac Style Frosted Glass Vase with Cherub and Grapes Motif
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Victorian Walnut and Poplar Bed Frame, Late 19th Century
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Walter Stomps Abstract Geometric Acrylic Painting "Galactic Border No. 1"
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Don Sutton and Duke Snider Signed Rawlings Official NL and Al Baseballs
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Mike Trout, Nolan Ryan, and More Graded Baseball Cards, 1990s-2010s
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Christian Dior Navy Trotter Jacquard Zip Pouch
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Francine Wrap Shirt in Leather and Paolo Santini Leather Shirt with Siena Skirt
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Death NYC Pop Art Graphic Print of Mickey Mouse, 2022
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Albert duVannes Tonalist Landscape Oil Painting, Early 20th Century
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Wooded Landscape Oil Painting of Pond
Robert Wright (1943-2006)
Influenced by his Roman Catholic faith and local Pittsburgh neighborhoods, Wright’s paintings often highlight the South Side slopes, religious motifs, faces and birds. A self-taught artists who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, Wright never finished high school and eventually worked as a landscaper and a janitor at a daycare center. His mother fostered his artistic interests and he eventually found success with his work at a social service agency in Oakland. He exhibited at local Pittsburgh galleries and at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
Eugene Andolsek (1921-2008)
Eugene Andolsek would spend hours at his kitchen table, creating intricate geometric mandala designs on graph paper with markers, a compass, and a straight edge. Considering the process a critical therapeutic outlet, Andolsek didn’t view himself as an artist and simply stored his drawings in trunks once he was finished. It wasn’t until his work was brought to the attention of the Director of the Andy Warhol Museum in the early aughts that they received attention.
Esther Phillips (1902-1983)
Unlike many of her contemporaries who were painting landscapes or women in domestic settings, Phillips experimented with Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. Her subjects, which came to life in vibrant color, included abstract cityscapes and asylum scenes, many from the 6 1/2 years she spent institutionalized upstate New York. While her watercolors were met with critical acclaim in Pittsburgh, she struggled to say housed and fed throughout her life.