The Hidden Art: Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Self-Taught Artists from the Audrey B. Heckler Collection

Published in collaboration with the American Folk Art Museum. This unparalleled survey celebrates the works of one of the world’s most important collections of self-taught artists. The Hidden Art reveals for the first time an exceptional trove of contemporary and historic artworks by an exemplary roster of international self-taught artists from the collection of Audrey B. Heckler. Heckler, who has been building her extensive collection with the highest criteria of quality and rigor since the early 1990s, is celebrated for having an acute instinct for exquisite works. This volume presents exceptional examples of some of the most recognizable artists of the field, including Henry Darger, Bill Traylor, Martín Ramírez, Adolf Wölfli, Aloïse Corbaz, William Edmondson, Thornton Dial, Howard Finster, Morris Hirshfield, Nek Chand, Sam Doyle, and Achilles Rizzoli. The Hidden Art explains the breadth and significance of Heckler’s collection within the context of the field of self-taught art. A variety of exploratory texts by 32 renowned scholars discuss these artworks, providing important background information on each of the forty-eight artists. Elegant yet engaging, this comprehensive volume will be treasured by a wide audience of art lovers, artists, and artisans alike.