Modern Art
and Insanity

This article concerns a 1921 exhibition displaying the art of the mentally insane. Organized under the auspices of the psychiatric department of Germany’s Heidelberg University and curated by Dr. Hans Prinzhorn (1886 – 1933: author of Artistry of the Mentally Ill):

“The affair has revived among European psychologists a discussion of the aesthetic gifts of maniacs which began several years ago without leading to any definite conclusions.”

Despite the sensational title, the journalist makes clear that the art of the insane has not always resembled the art of the period in which they chanced to live and any art resembling the efforts of the German Expressionists was purely coincidental. Regardless of this fact, the exhibit made an impact on some modernists at the time and it is said that a few of the pieces from the exhibit were later displayed in the 1938 anti-modernist exhibition that was sponsored by the Nazis.