Gaston Chaissac is considered to be one of the major representatives of Art Brut in France. His life and work, characterized by individuality and intense creativity, have influenced many contemporary artists.

‍

While detained in a prison camp during the Second World War, Chaissac began drawing and painting with pieces of paper and pieces of wood. Describing himself as a “modern rustic painter”, the artist works all his life with recycled materials and explores various mediums, from collage to sculpture to painting.

‍

As early as 1959, Chaissac created his Totems, anthropomorphic wooden sculptures often decorated with simple symbols. These works reflect his practice of recovering and transforming “insignificant” materials into spiritual and mystical figures.

‍

Jean Dubuffet, impressed by the artist's originality, introduced him to the circle of raw artists and presented his works in Paris and New York. In 1972, Chaissac's drawings were exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes, and in 1990 a retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in the City of Paris renewed interest in Art Brut. Finally, in 2018, the exhibition Gaston Chaissac: art in freedom in Switzerland made it possible to rediscover part of his artistic work.

‍