It is fascinating to observe the immense influence the artworks of psychologically ill people have had on the course of the 20th century art history.

Artistic icons such as Jean Tinguely, Paul Klee or Jean Dubuffet were clearly interested in the representatives of the Art Brut, in the subtle line between the imaginary and obsession, dreams, pain and illness, these insidious evils that emerge unseen from our unconscious.

With the Bern hospital Waldau as a starting point, which possesses a large collection of works by schizophrenic artists, filmmakers Hervé Nisic and Michel Beretti investigate the ongoing fascination for Art-Brut-artists.

Contributors include Michel Thévoz, founder of the Collection de l’Art Brut de Lausanne, the sculptor Armin Heusser, Daniel Baumann, Curator of the Adolf-Wölfli-Stiftung, as well as the artists Bernhard Luginbühl, Daniel Spoerri and Bernhard Gahl.

Montréal, 27e FIFA Festival International du Film sur l'Art Montréal, 19.03.2009 – 29.03.2009

Solothurn, 44. Solothurner Filmtage, 19.01.2009 – 25.01.2009

PICTURES