Outsider art: Two African artists somewhat lost amid the vast Decharme collection in Paris

The Beninese artist Ezekiel Messou (undated photo). ARCHIVES DE LA COLLECTION D’ART BRUT, LAUSANNE (SUISSE) / LUCIENNE PEIRY

One Beninese and one Angolan: These were the only African artists represented – among the 156 men and women – at the Grand Palais in Paris for the exhibition "Art brut. The Decharme donation to the Centre Pompidou." Eight works (four by each artist) out of the 402 on display through September 21.

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'Art brut' to the point of saturation at the Grand Palais

"Outsider art is outsider art and everyone understands that perfectly well," said painter Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) in 1947, who coined the term and amassed a significant collection. This movement does not belong to the fine arts, nor is it necessarily shown in the usual venues dedicated to artistic creation, such as art schools or studios. It escapes artistic movements and stylistic influences. It refuses to be boxed into any category and resists all attempts at definition. It exists "elsewhere."