Although interest in so-called marginal art (such as art by children, or mentally ill people) has existed since the late nineteenth century, it received its definition and name –Art Brut (*1947, by Jean Dubuffet) precisely during avant-garde. Almost eighty years later, in this post-historical and post-modernist era, it seems to be increasingly challenging to understand Art Brut based exclusively on its original definitions, aesthetics, and a myriad of names and sub-forms. Can terms Art Brut, Outsider art, Naïve Art, Raw Art and others still function in a context which has been considerably socially, politically and artistically transformed since the movement’s emergence? Who is an Art Brut artist? Who has the right to engage in Art Brut? What is Art Brut in Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East? Is there Art Brut in Austria outside Gugging? Is there a feminist dimension of Art Brut and how is it represented? What makes Art Brut attractive for the art market?

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The discussion is a continuation of the program activities of the association Kunstentropie from Vienna, which was preceded by the publication entitled On the Margin of the Austrian Mainstream Art Discourse: Art Brut and Disability Art during the Coronavirus Pandemic (2022).