The origin of Outsider art, like many Western-defined genres, is directly related to the troubled relationship between the Euro-centric cultural elitism that dominated much of contemporary art history and the rest of the world. The term was first defined in 1972 by art critic Roger Cardinal as an English equivalent to the French art brut, or raw art, which described the work created by asylum patients and prisoners, as well as the “primitive” art coming out of Africa and South America. French artist Jean Dubuffet, who coined the term in his 1947 manifesto, began collecting the paintings and drawings produced by psychiatric patients after the 1922 release of a publication entitled Bildnerei der Geisteskranken (Artistry of the Mentally Ill) by Dr. Hans Prinzhorn. Alongside surrealist artists such as André Breton, Dubuffet founded the Compagnie deL’Art Brut to further explore this interest, stating in “Make Way for Incivism” that “those works created from solitude and from pure and authentic creative impulses—where the worries of competition, acclaim and social promotion do not interfere—are, because of these very facts, more precious than the productions of professionals.”

While art brut was more specifically confined to marginalized and self-taught artists, the broader Outsider art encompasses a wide range of styles and mediums. Adolf Wölfli, a diagnosed schizophrenic often regarded as the first art brut artist, created thousands of meticulously drafted drawings that illustrated elaborate fantasy worlds, often incorporating highly complex mathematical patterns. Perhaps the most well-known American Outsider artist was Henry Darger, who created maps, drawings and paintings detailing the fantastic battles of “the Vivian Girls.” Other notable artists include Martin Ramirez, Madge Gill and Morton Bartlett. In contemporary terms, Outsider art, along with folk art, vernacular art, or intuitive art is most often used to describe any working artist who functions outside the parameters of the “formal” art world. Now a global movement championed by organizations like the Outsider Art Fair, the genre is being continually challenged and redefined in the modern age.