Art Brut, which can also be translated as ‘raw art’, is difficult to define precisely, the term was proposed by the French painter Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s as a concept referring to a unique expression created by people who were not educated in art.
S Since 2016, the Shiga Museum of Art has added ‘Art Brut’ to its collection policy and has been collecting works by people who express themselves in their own unique way and who are not bound by existing art and artistic frameworks.
As of May 2023, the museum has 194 ‘Art Brut’ works in its collection (69 purchased, 113 gifted and 12 deposited). This exhibition introduces 37 works by 11 artists, including Marino Okazaki, Seiya Kisutoba and Sisuko Toumoto, who were collected in the previous year.
　Through their works, we hope that visitors will be able to sense the expansion and possibilities of expression that go beyond academic framework of art.