In anticipation of her April 2021 book launch, art historian Leisa Rundquist joins Intuit President and CEO Debra Kerr to discuss the forthcoming book The Power and Fluidity of Girlhood in Henry Darger’s Art. Rundquist’s book is the first to examine Darger’s conceptual and visual representation of girlhood as it charts his use of little girl imagery in contexts that many scholars have read as puerile and psychologically disturbed, including his direct appropriations from mainstream sources as well as girls modified to meet his needs. Consequently, this inquiry qualifies the intersexed aspects of Darger’s girls as well as addresses their inherent cute and little associations that signal multivocal meanings often in conflict with each other. To complement their conversation, Rundquist and Kerr will use source materials from the Henry Darger Room Collection, located at Intuit, as references to discuss the intricacies of Darger’s representation of girls.
A Closer Look into Henry Darger’s World is a public program hosted in part by Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art and Outsider Art Fair, and it is free to join!
Intuit is an institutional partner of the Outsider Art Fair New York 2021. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair will include limited in-person experiences at five New York host galleries in addition to a robust online platform. The Outsider Art Fair opens to VIP attendees on Thursday, January 28, and the public on Friday, January 29, and closes to all on Sunday, February 7.
