An assault on the senses – in a good way?
Yesterday at Brutal Beauty – the Barbican’s exhibition of works by Jean Dubuffet.
This French artist, who defined the concept of Arte Brute (think New Brutalism in architecture) worked significantly post-war; this survey of his work (including that of others’ he had collected together) takes no prisoners.
He had little esteem for the trained artist working in conventional manner – his subjects, and his media, were counter culture – and, because he combined elements that were not meant to be ‘combined’, frequently fragile.
Progressing through the galleries you see many styles and types of work – so different that a carefully chosen room full could look like works of multiple artists – but each is similar in that it is an assault on senses and sensibilities.
Some works belong only in a gallery (public or private), not a home – but others would grace any (well many) walls.
This is a challenging exhibition, certainly, but one well worth a view. It’s been in the wings since the start of Covid – but it’s been worth the wait. He is recorded as an influencer on many of the US modernists – despite the dissimilarities in the ‘look’ of those works, it is clear, I think, that this is not a false claim.