How to Look at Outsider Art

the long version

"Outsider art has become a catchall phrase for everything that is raw, untutored, and extreme in art. It is hoarded by ambitious collectors around the world and is even now in the process of being integrated into the contemporary art mainstream. But most people interested in art, and even aficionados, can't say precisely what outsider art is or identify the best artists. And when it comes to judging new and unfamiliar work, most people cannot evaluate what they see." "How to Look at Outsider Art is an invaluable resource to help navigate the aesthetics of this evolving field. It provides an overview of the field's most exciting works, some of them never before published in book form. This book points out the challenges of assessing work, offers guidelines for aesthetic and collecting judgments, and gives accounts of some of the field's spectacular successes. Featuring case studies that provide in-depth examinations of individual works by particular artists and that discuss their critical and popular reception, the book provides the criteria that should be used to evaluate these works of art. All "outsiders" are not created equal, and this book tells why."--Jacket.