René Bertelé

1945

He begins collecting art brut

In 1945 Dubuffet began to collect art brut, “raw” art close to the work of children, the self-taught and the mentally ill; the collection is now in Lausanne.

1945

Fautrier's show and the thick paste

In 1945 Dubuffet saw a show of Jean Fautrier's paintings in Paris, in which he recognized meaningful art that expressed the depth of a person directly and purely. Emulating Fautrier, he began mixing thick oil paint with mud, sand, coal dust, pebbles, glass, straw, plaster, cement and tar, and made scratches and slashes in the paste.

1946

Pierre Matisse's New York show: success in America

Dubuffet was included in the Pierre Matisse Gallery exhibition in New York alongside Picasso, Braque and Rouault, one of only two young artists so honored. Clement Greenberg wrote positively about his three canvases, and Newsweek dubbed him the darling of Parisian avant-garde circles.

1946

The “Hautes Pâtes” show at Galerie René Drouin

At his second major exhibition, “Microbolus Macadam & Cie / Hautes Pâtes”, at the Galerie René Drouin, Dubuffet showed his “Thick Impastoes” series. His crude materials and irony drew fierce criticism; he was accused of “anarchy” and of “scraping the dustbin”.

1947

First solo exhibition in America

In 1947 Dubuffet had his first solo exhibition in America, at the same Pierre Matisse Gallery. Reviews were largely favorable, and he went on to exhibit there at least once a year.

June 1948

The Compagnie de l'art brut is founded

In June 1948 Dubuffet, together with Jean Paulhan, André Breton, Charles Ratton, Michel Tapié and Henri-Pierre Roché, officially established La Compagnie de l'art brut in Paris, dedicated to the discovery, documentation and exhibition of art brut. He later amassed his own collection, including works by Aloïse Corbaz and Adolf Wölfli.