The Collection of Outsider Art of The Museum of Contemporary Art was formed in 2016 and currently has 639 works.

The collection features Karl Sirovy's works, as well as works by Krešimir Hlup, Drago Trumbetaš, Stjepan Bukovina, Emerik Feješ, Igor Lasić, Lovro Pavelić, Ljiljana Arar, Zvonko Zvone Bratić, Božidar Štef Golub, Gojislav Kalapača-Goja, Drago Jurak, Dubravko Sertić, Margareta Vidmar, Melita Kraus and Simona Petković.

What does outsider art really stand for? In short, the art of fantastic imagination that teaches us to think about and understand art differently, but also the type of art that does not resonate easily with a large audience.

Marginal art or outsider art has its roots in Art Brut and it is difficult to agree on its precise definition, because the level of awareness regarding this type of art is still low among the public and profession alike.

The term Art Brut was first mentioned in 1948 by the French artist Jean Dubuffet (1901 – 1985) who founded the Compagnie de l'Art Brut in Paris the same year. Dubuffet viewed art brut artists as untrained artists or autodidacts, who, despite living in a highly developed society, tried to preserve their space of freedom and a kind of wilderness, barbarism, and create within it. The term outsider art was introduced in 1972 and was originally conceived as the English equivalent for art brut first used by the English art historian Roger Cardinal.

Outsider artists create without intention, unencumbered by academic frameworks, fully expressing their need for personal freedom. Their creative work can be described as primal, they create free art which knows no boundaries, art that is recognised as art without preconceptions or prejudices. The works almost always pique our interest, they often shock us, but at the same time open up a dialogue in which we are equal participants in the process of unmasking their secret.

The Collection of Outsider Art of The Museum of Contemporary Art was formed in 2016 and currently has 639 works. The collection features Karl Sirovy's works, as well as works by Krešimir Hlup, Drago Trumbetaš, Stjepan Bukovina, Emerik Feješ, Igor Lasić, Lovro Pavelić, Ljiljana Arar, Zvonko Zvone Bratić, Božidar Štef Golub, Gojislav Kalapača-Goja, Drago Jurak, Dubravko Sertić, Margareta Vidmar, Melita Kraus and Simona Petković.

Contact:
Daniela Bilopavlović Bedenik, senior curator daniela.bilopavlovic@msu.hr