The Henry Darger Room Collection at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Photo © John Faier.
Who is Henry Darger?
Chicago’s most famous outsider artist lived in a one-room apartment in the city’s Lincoln Park neighborhood until 1973 when he retired to a nursing facility. In his small room—which doubled as a studio and home for close to 40 years—Henry Darger worked on a large number of painted and collaged drawings that illustrated the story of the Vivian Girls, created volumes of writings and collected hundreds of objects (shoes, eyeglasses, balls of string, etc.). The contrast between the intimate scale of the room and the staggering volume of drawings, illustrations, writings and collections, conveys vital information about Darger’s existence and the work he created.
In spring 2000, Intuit took possession of the contents of artist Henry Darger’s living and working space, which was located at 851 Webster Avenue. Intuit’s Henry Darger Room Collection includes tracings, clippings from newspapers, magazines, comic books, cartoons, children’s books, coloring books, personal documents, and architectural elements, fixtures, and furnishings from Darger’s original room.
Opened in 2008, the goal of this permanent exhibit is to create an environment that provides a window onto Darger’s world. The installation symbolizes the stark contrasts that are so vividly portrayed in Darger’s vast and complex oeuvre. Experiencing Darger’s personal environment through the installation will provide an important link to the man who struggled relentlessly throughout his life to give expression to the polarized spectrum of humanity. The archive and material represents a vital resource and the installation enhances the understanding and appreciation of the art of Henry Darger by providing artists, scholars, and the public access to a unique and innovative archive of study materials.
If you have questions about Intuit’s Henry Darger Room Collection or about the artist, please contact us at intuit@art.org. No appointment is needed to see the Henry Darger Room Collection. The Room is at the museum (756 N Milwaukee Ave.) and on view to the public during Intuit’s regular hours.
Take a virtual tour
Watch the video
Watch the video on the Henry Darger Room Collection, by The Good Stuff, part of PBS Digital Studios:
Visit the official Henry Darger website
Find more information on official Darger exhibitions, collections and events at www.officialhenrydarger.com.
READ Henry Darger’s Writing
Henry Darger’s manuscripts were copied to microfilm by Kiyoko Lerner in the 1990s, and Ms. Lerner donated a copy of the microfilm to Intuit. Thanks to generous Intuit donors, Intuit digitized the microfilm reels of Henry Darger’s famed manuscript The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion, which was previously inaccessible at the museum without special equipment. Darger’s writings, including Darger’s Weather Reports, History of My Life and Vivian Girls in Chicago, are now accessible via the Illinois State Library website. To view, go to the volume you wish to read and click the “Expand” arrows in the top right corner. Please be patient; it may take some time to access these riveting stories.
From 851 West Webster to Intuit
Read essays by co-curators Jessica Moss and Lisa Stone.
Learn more about Henry Darger and Intuit
Watch Chicago Tonight’s Artbeat: Henry Darger.
Watch f News Magazine’s Henry Darger Room Collection.
Bring Darger’s art into your classroom
Get the Henry Darger Resource Kit for Educators.
Many thanks to the late Nathan Lerner for discovering the genius of Henry Darger and to Kiyoko Lerner for her generous gift of the contents of Henry Darger’s room to Intuit. Sincere thanks to all donors and contributors: Robert A. Roth, for his critical financial support and for acquiring and loaning the Vivian Girl portraits, and Kohler Foundation, Inc., John MacGregor, Patrick King/Midwest Freeze Dry, Kavi Gupta, Jim Zanzi, Barbara and Kent Manning, The Roads Scholarship for Research and Travel/The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and contributors to the Darger’s Army fund. This project is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Sincere thanks to all who contributed to the process of creating the Henry Darger Room Collection. Measured drawings: Larry Harris, Kent Manning. Interior architecture: Angie Mills. Packing/moving Darger room contents: Stuart Grannan/Architectural Artifacts staff, Mike and Jim Hinchsliff, Tim and Katie Tuten and the Hideout staff, Judy Saslow, Randy Vick, Jamie Young, and all volunteers. Darger Room collection catalog: Juliana Driever, Jessica Moss, Farris Wahbeh. Conservation consultation and treatment: David Chandler, Dan Cochrane Conservation, Margo McFarland. Production, construction, room preparation: Sherry Diaz, for expert carpentry, design, and preparation, and Matthew DuPont, James Connolly, David Olfasen, Jan Petry. Photography: William Bengtson, John Faier. Print Art Direction: David Syrek and Joe Darrow.