Top image via Hyperallergic, featured below.
This week brings the sad news of Josef Hofer's passing, alongside fresh discoveries of secret paintings and new exhibitions celebrating both contemporary folk art and visionary environments. We've gathered a handful of stories that might interest you.
Austrian Outsider Artist Josef Hofer Has Died at 80
Josef Hofer, whose raw and intensely personal drawings earned him recognition in the outsider art world, has died at 80. His work, often featuring the human figure rendered with remarkable directness, was collected internationally and shown widely in museums dedicated to art brut. Read it at ARTnews.com.
Peter Besharo was a Pennsylvania handyman whose secret paintings were found only after his death
A Pennsylvania handyman kept his artistic life entirely private, with 69 paintings discovered only after he died. The story of Peter Besharo joins the long tradition of self-taught artists whose work emerges posthumously, raising questions about why some people create in complete secrecy. Read it at The Economic Times.
Hometown Hotspot: New exhibits at the American Visionary Art Museum
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore has opened new exhibitions. AVAM remains one of the few major American institutions devoted entirely to self-taught and visionary art, so their programming is always worth watching. Read it at WBFF.
Beverly Buchanan at the Raw Edge of Art
Beverly Buchanan carried the American South into her writings, zines, paintings, and remarkable shack sculptures. This piece explores how the polymath artist refused to leave her region behind, instead transforming it into a body of work that sits at the raw edge of folk and fine art. Read it at Hyperallergic.
Found Object Masks by Romuald Hazoumè Counter Sorrow with Sympathy
Romuald Hazoumè transforms plastic jugs, feathers, netting, paintbrushes and other discarded materials into powerful masks. His assemblage work from found objects creates faces that speak to resilience and resourcefulness in the face of hardship. Read it at Colossal.
Budapest Museum Showcases Contemporary Hungarian Folk Art
A Budapest museum has mounted an exhibition of contemporary Hungarian folk art. It's a reminder that folk traditions continue to evolve and find new practitioners, rather than existing only as historical artefacts. Read it at Hungary Today.
Studio BRUT is an outsider art studio and gallery in Swindon. We publish this round-up every week. For one email when something is worth knowing, join the newsletter at the bottom of this page, and our guide to 155 outsider artists is always open.