Artist Profile

Jean Dubuffet (1901- 1985) is a renowned French l’art brut painter, sculptor, lithographer, and writer.  He began his journey as an artist in 1918 when he moved to Paris to receive formal training in painting at the Académie Julian.  However, within six months the artist left his studies and began painting on his own.  As time passed Dubuffet began to doubt the value of art and culture.  He stopped painting altogether from 1924-33 and entered the wine trade. It was not until 1942 that Dubuffet began painting again and had his first one-man exhibition at the Galerie Ren Drouin, Paris in 1944.  Beginning in 1962, the artist became preoccupied with an extensive series called “Hourloupe,” which included not only paintings but also painted sculptures and three-dimensional works in polyester resin.  Dubuffet’s major works have been collected by several of the world’s leading museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Museum of Modern Art  in New York City; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; and the Stadel Museum, Frankfurt.