"Fougere au Chapeau" (Fern in the Hat) by Jean Dubuffet, (Fr., 1901-1985)

Color Lithograph, 1953, Ed. 60, W. 377, 25-7/8 x 19-7/8, on cream Arches wove paper, signed, titled & no. in pencil. An old mat line, tape stains to the corners and minor surface abrasion have all been professionally conserved. Fascinated and inspired by the unfettered art of children and the insane, Dubuffet embraced that freedom himself, noting their work was created "from their own depths and not from the stereotypes of Classical or fashionable art". Dubuffet's influence is felt today in the appreciation of Outsider Art, and practice of contemporary graffiti artists. Dubuffet also loved the improvisational music of jazz, which in part inspired the bold, meandering contour lines and experimental textures found in his work. This influence is seen and felt in the  joyous, dancing figure here.  "Fougere Au Chapeau" or "Fern in the Hat", is one of the artist's better known prints; an early, large and witty figure subject in color by the father of the Art Brut movement or "Raw Art", which he founded in 1947.