Description
Book SynopsisCreating Connections features over 70 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and watercolours from the Rosenthal Collection of work by self-taught artists. This richly illustrated publication explores the mysterious connections we have with works of art and examines the journey into the meaning of art for its creators. It looks at the historic approaches to the creations of self-taught artists and the problems inherent in their interpretation. It also considers where we should go to achieve a more equitable and inclusive art history. The Rosenthal Collection comprises a significant and notably varied grouping. Not only does it cover a broad mix of American names including Earl Cunningham, Henry Darger, Thornton Dial, Bill Traylor, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Ralph Fasanella, Martin Ramirez, and Janet Sobel, it also includes non-US artists Carlo Zinelli, Hiroyuki Doi, Adolf Woelfli, Donald Pass, and Nek Chand among others. Jean Dubuffet, the French painter who famously promoted their study, is also featured. An illustrated interview by Julie Aronson with Richard Rosenthal provides special insight into the collector who has brought together this exceptionally diverse array of work. Essays by Olivia Sagan and Charles Russell look at the need for a more nuanced approach to these artists and their work, at the history of its appreciation (including terminology such as "Outsider Art"), and examine the work in the context of autobiography, trauma, connection, and remembering.
Trade Review"The collection (and the catalog) speaks to a shared love of storytelling, communication, and self-expression through both viewing and creating art."—Art Libraries Society of North America, (ARLIS/NA)
Table of ContentsDirector's Foreword; Acknowledgments; Graceful Mysteries by Olivia Sagan; A Shepherd of the Art: Collector Richard Rosenthal in Conversation with Julie Aronson; Selected Works from the Rosenthal Collection Part 1; Creating Connections Reflections on the Rosenthal Collection by Charles Russell; Selected Works from the Rosenthal Collection Part 2; Exhibition Checklist; Bibliography; Index; Photography Credits
