BY JOEL SIMPSON
IT seems that the unifying characteristic of these artists is that they follow their own private inspiration, mostly undirected by pedagogy, tradition and the call of galleries looking to sell to sophisticated (or corporate) tastes.
These are astonishing examples of self-taught art under the general rubric of “outsider art.”

Plan to spend at least two hours in this milieu, especially if you engage with gallery personnel who are more than happy to discuss the artists and their often bizarre stories. Fifty galleries and museums are represented.
The "Outsider Art Fair" includes such categories as folk, visionary, naïve, intuitive and art brut (“raw art”). Throughout this report, note observations of a few works that caught my eye.
into obvious but heretofore unchartered territory. At Institute 193, a gallery based in Lexington, Ken.
Ironically, outsider art, owing to its vitality and originality, has become so sought after in the past 30 years that many galleries specialize in it. This genre has developed a devoted following and specialized periodicals, including the UK-based Raw Vision, which has a booth at the show. (http://www.rawvision.com). The world's other "Outsider Art Fair," in Paris, is scheduled for October.
In possibly a gallery-based trend, works of a religious nature are largely absent from this year's show.
Still, the range of work in this iteration of the "Outsider Art Fair" is vast. The delights are many, and there is a strong erotic component to much of it.
Visit http://www.outsiderartfair.com to learn more about the "Outsider Art Fair."
One of a series of exhibitionistic watercolors, left, from 1937–45 discovered recently in Budapest and sent to New Haven, Conn. gallery owner, Fred Giampietro. The artist is unknown, but this is the kind of work that typically turns up at the "Outsider Art Fair": “closet” art discovered after the death of the artist whose identity may be unknown. At right, 5-inch painted metal and clay androgynous figure by Frederick Hastings. It was discovered in a drawer by his daughter after his death. Presumably, it was created some time during the 1980s. Recently discovered, this is the first time this work has been publicly shown. At New York City's American Primitive Gallery.
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