Inside the Outside: Five Self-Taught Artists from The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation

In the Beitzel and Righter Galleries
July 19, 2015 – October 11, 2015

The self-taught genre remains one of the most complex and intriguing themes in modern and contemporary art. This exhibition brings together highlights from the extraordinary collection of William Louis-Dreyfus and features a focused look at five artists – James Castle, Thornton Dial, Nellie Mae Rowe, Bill Traylor, and Willie Young – who eschewed formal training to embark on their separate journeys, resulting in astoundingly open and imaginative bodies of work. Though these artists started creating their work late in life, they were driven by an inexorable urge to respond to personal visions and aspects of their daily lives. With more than sixty works on view, this exhibition showcases some of the finest examples of self-taught art in any private collection.