CHICAGO (April 23, 2026) – Gatecrashers. That’s the term newspapers nearly 100 years ago called the works of self-taught artists when they began “crashing the gates” of the elite art world. It was then when names like Horace Pippin, Anna Mary Robertson (Grandma Moses), and Martin Ramírez were just beginning to be considered consequential contributors to America’s creative excellence.
Since then, a broader understanding and appreciation has grown for the vision and perspective of artists who, for an assortment of reasons, remained or continue to be, untrained. Once the focus shifts from the origins or situational attributes of the artist and to the artistic quality and merit of their artwork, the wealth of talent obscured by bias becomes infinitely more visible.
Recently renovated into a bright jewel-box of an exhibition space, Intuit Art Museum (IAM) in West Town has been championing the output of self-taught and outsider artists for the past 35 years. A trio of new exhibitions that opened in early April gives testimony to the vitality and psychological energy emanating from this branch of the art world. The showings also offer a fresh re-introduction to the breadth of aesthetic beauty found in this creative offshoot. Art at its most natural and original.
Intuit champions the diverse voices of self-taught art, welcoming both new and familiar audiences. Intuit presents the work of self-taught artists—also known as outsider art. These artists typically work outside the mainstream and may have faced societal, economic or geographic barriers to a traditional path of art making. By presenting a diversity of artistic voices, Intuit builds a bridge from art to audiences.
About Intuit
Intuit champions the diverse voices of self-taught art, welcoming both new and familiar audiences. Intuit presents the work of self-taught artists—also known as outsider art. These artists typically work outside the mainstream and may have faced societal, economic or geographic barriers to a traditional path of art making. By presenting a diversity of artistic voices, Intuit builds a bridge from art to audiences.
