Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty

Exhibition at Barbican Centre, London, 17 May - 22 August, 2021

In 1940s occupied Paris, Jean Dubuffet began to champion a progressive vision for art; one that rejected classical notions of beauty in favour of a more visceral aesthetic. Taking a pioneering approach to materiality and technique, the artist variously blended paint with sand, glass, tar, coal dust, and string. At the same time, he began to assemble a collection of art brut-work that was made outside the academic tradition of fine art-even visiting psychiatric wards from 1945 to collect work by patients.

Featuring newly commissioned essays and photography of rarely exhibited works, this book highlights the radicalism of Jean Dubuffet and illuminates his attempts to move beyond the artistic expectations of his time. The works are grouped into six thematic sections that focus on specific series.