
Featuring Henry Darger, William Dawson, Lee Godie, Howard Finster, Edgar Tolson, Bill Traylor, Adolf Wolfli, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Gregory Warmack (Mr. Imagination
Fetauring Morton Bartlett, Joanathan Bessaci, Connor Brothers, Jordan Laura MacLachlan, Daniel Rohrig
MARION HARRIS: THE ART OF COLLECTING
Art and objects span centuries and geography ranging in purpose from pleasure to prosperity. Outsider artists can transcend all categories by ignoring classic definitions and replacing them with the obsessive need to produce without any formal art knowledge and no desire, in any case, to follow its rules. Compelled to create while untrained to do so. And finding a way to tell their story.
The strongest and most appealing examples of this unruly cousin to traditional art often focus on the hidden narrative, the inner force giving us insight into the back story behind the image.
Artists we represent who are emblematic of this philosophy -where fantasy and reality overlap- all in very different ways and whose work we will be showing at The Outsider Fair are Morton Bartlett, The Connor Brothers and Daniel Rohrig. In addition, Joanathan Bessaci’s Memory Maps, bordering on actual and invented memory and Jordan Laura MacLachlan’s invented scenarios will be available.
As perhaps best illustrated by The Connor Brothers in their Classics Series: THE TRUTH. YOU COULDN”T MAKE IT UP, we are privy to self-taught artists’ eccentric and honest storytelling techniques. The Connor Brothers, entered the art scene as fictitious twins in 2010, maintaining their anonymity with shows in Australia and Los Angeles until 2014. Shrouded in mystery and surrounded by gossip, they were introduced to a New York audience at The Outsider Fair by Marion Harris in a sell-out show. Sold without true attribution, buyers were given advance notice that the the artists would be revealed in an upcoming article in London’s Telegraph magazine. Since exposing their true identity, The Connor Brothers have politicized their work, joining the stable of Banksy and similar, supporting philanthropic causes.
Morton Bartlett
(1909 - 1992)
Morton Bartlett, an only child, adopted at age seven into a Boston Brahmin family, produced a fantasy family of highly realistic sculpted figures of 12 girls and three boys. Discovered only after his death in 1992 and detailed in FAMILY FOUND, the catalogue on his life and work, Bartlett has been described as an icon in the field and has been included in numerous exhibits including The Venice Biennale in 2013. His work is in many important museums including The Metropolitan Museum and Musee L’Art Brut, Lausanne among many others and major private collections.
Daniel Rohrig
(1911 - 1969)
Born in Indiana, the 9th of 10 children, Daniel Rohrig left home in 1930 to work in the zinc mines of Oklahoma. Similar industrial or agricultural work followed until, after entering the armed forces in 1941, he eventually became a purser on The Queen Mary, in S.W. Pacific visiting ports in The Philippines, Guam and Japan. Self-taught, with an amazing eye for detail, his travels allowed him to portray his obsessive fantasies of Asian screen stars and historical characters. His work was discovered after his death in 1969 and has only recently been brought to public attention.
THE TRUTH. YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP.
And who could have believed that when the The Outsider Fair was introduced by Sandy Smith 31 years ago it would become the landmark event in its field. Probably not even Sandy himself. After being bought by Andrew Edlin, the fair has grown and developed to become the gold standard by which others are judged and continues to introduce new artists.
We certainly couldn’t have imagined that this would be our 31st year and are as excited and honored to be exhibiting as three decades ago. We welcome you to join us in booth C17.
Marion Harris
1225 Park Ave
New York, NY 10128
+1 860 604 6677
info@marion-harris.com
marion-harris.com
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