January 22 2021     #200

Outsider Art Fair

New York 2021

Outsider Art Fair, the premier fair dedicated to self-taught art, art brut and outsider art from around the world, is pleased to announce the roster of exhibitions for its first-ever multi-venue event, taking place January 28, 2021 – February 7, 2021.

Jupiter, George M. Silsbee (1891). Ink on paper, 22 x 41 in. Courtesy of Ricco/Maresca Gallery,

The 29th edition of OAF will include a hybrid of online and in-person components, featuring 7 curated exhibitions across 5 locations around Manhattan, in addition to a robust lineup of online viewing rooms powered by Artlogic, showcasing 45 exhibitors from 29 cities representing 9 countries.

Untitled,, Noviadi Angkasapura (2019). Mixed media on paper, 10 ix 14.5 in. Courtesy of Galerie Pol Lemétais, Saint Sever du Moustier, France

“This year’s New York fair will be radically different. We’re excited for our visitors to experience something special,” said OAF Director, Nikki Iacovella.

“Our online platform is beautiful but we also recognize there is a ravenous appetite for seeing art in the flesh again. We intend to deliver,” said fair owner, Andrew Edlin.

For more information, visit www.outsiderartfair.com.

Ricco/Maresca Gallery exhibition:

Explanatory Marks: The Mystical Drawings of George M. Silsbee (1840–1900)

George M. Silsbee was a Civil War veteran with many occupations – artist, maker of daguerreotype images, organ builder, and miner among them.

Around 1891, he created what he would describe as his master oeuvre; a series of large works on paper backed with linen, densely rendered with writing, calligraphy, charts, and symbols revolving around freemasonry, mysticism, and the occult. 

Crosses of Jehovah, George M. Silsbee. (ca. 1891). Ink on paper. 25 1/8 x 21 1/2 in. 

Explanatory Marks will present a collection of nine such works, which have never been seen until now.

Learn more at www.riccomaresca.com.

Outside In exhibits at

London Art Fair 2021

National charity Outside In, which supports with artists facing significant barriers to the artworld, will be showing the work of three of its artists at this year’s London Art Fair within the fair’s online Platform showcase. 

Curated by Candida Stevens, Platform focuses on galleries, well-known, overlooked and emerging artists that align with a distinct theme, with the theme for 2021 being ‘Folk Art.’ Outside In has responded to the theme of folk art by showcasing works by three artists (Horace Lindezey, Joanna Simpson and James Alison) who express identity, heritage and community though their artwork.

Good Luck Gum Nut Tree Folk, Joanna Simpson (2016). Eucalyptus  seed pods and mixed media on Australian pennies, dimensions vary 

From Joanna Simpson:

“The Good Luck Gum Nut Folk are made from the seed pods of eucalyptus trees that were gathered whilst I lived in Sydney, New South Wales prior to the year 2000.  Various other found objects are included too, and they all sit on Australian pennies. I cluster the folk together in different groups, like little families and communities. To me they are lucky figures and I hope that they are safe in God’s hands.”

Stroller The Horse Jumping, James Alison (2018). Coloured pencils on brown paper, A3

"James Alison has attended Garvald Edinburgh, a creative day workplace for adults with learning disabilities, since 1992 and has worked in the Garvald Artists studio since 2015. James’s extraordinary linear style wanders into its own realm, building fantastical places and animals. His distinct use of pen and line captivates the viewer, drawing you in to the magical worlds he creates. "

Princess Diana’s dress, Horace Lyndezey (2018). Porcelain, left: 18 x 15 x 19 cm, right: 18 x 11 x 8 cm

"Horace Lindezey has been a practising artist for over 30 years. He is a skilled ceramicist and textile artist and is supported by Venture Arts studio in Hulme, Manchester.  Much of Lindezey’s world depicts the world around him, his family and memories of his childhood growing up in Hulme and Moss Side, Manchester. Horace is supported by Venture Arts studio in Manchester."

The London Art Fair opens with special VIP and Press previews on 18th and 19th January and is then open to the public from 20 – 31 January 2021. 

New book from Ayshea Ahmed:

The Wonderful World of Madge Gill

Come and take a look inside The Wonderful World of Madge Gill, outsider artist and visionary, as told in the wonderful book by Ayshea Ahmed.

"Born in Victorian London and orphaned at only nine years old, Madge endured a life of hardship and tragedy until one day she was suddenly possessed by an otherworldly spirit named Myrninerest, under whose guidance she went on to create thousands of mystical, channelled artworks over a period of nearly forty years. Madge Gill is now considered to be one of the finest artists in the history of Outsider Art."

“I wanted to create a book that was highly visual in of itself,” explains the author. “After all, that’s the only fitting way to take people on a journey through the life of an artist who was a bold and fearless visionary. I use the book as an opportunity to reproduce the various stages of Madge’s life, and many of the illustrations are based on actual photographs. It’s absolutely fascinating.”

"It’s a mission that has inspired a new series of books, the first of which unravels the life of visionary artist and famous Outsider, Madge Gill. It’s an immersive experience of simple narrative, vivid illustrations and the life of a woman who left her mark on the art world for an eternity."

abcd / ART BRUT short film:

George Widener

Bruno Decharme, founder of the abcd Art Brut Collection based in Paris, has released  a series of documentary films on art brut artists; this week, we would like to highlight the work of George Widener.

"GEORGE WIDENER", documentary by Bruno Decharme (2020)

"When Widener was 9, his father died and his mother, a violent alcoholic, ended up in an institution. As a result, he was first raised by his grand-mother and then by an aunt.

"At age 17, he joined the intelligence service of the U.S. Air Force. He spent his free time drawing. Because of his chronic depression, he spends a lot of time in a psychiatric clinic. He also suffers from a light form of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, which is expressed in his exceptional mathematical abilities and an outstanding memory.

"He makes art every day, compiling complicated lists, calendars, graphs, maps, codes and symbols that he writes in ink on tea-stained paper napkins that he pastes together into large surfaces. With his numerical equations, which he organizes into “magic squares,” he strives to keep the world together.

"In his art, aviation and maritime disasters become a part of important events in his personal life."

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