Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen

Outsider Art
The Collection of Victor F. Keen

Victor Keen began his first serious collection in the mid-1970s, acquiring Catalin radios, made from a phenolic resin used in household items from the 1930s to ’50s. Over the years, he has collected antique toys and banks, milk glass, toasters, and vintage posters, but it was his friendship with gallerist Frank Maresca of Ricco/Maresca Gallery in New York that first sparked his interest in outsider art in the late ’70s. That interest was furthered at the Duane Morris law offices in Philadelphia, where Keen worked surrounded by art from the outsider art collection of Sheldon Bonovitz, works which hung on the firm’s walls.

Throughout the years, Keen has developed an expansive, growing collection of exemplary works of outsider art. From works of historical art brut (raw art) by Adolf Wölfi, to works by Southern African American artists like Bill Traylor and Thornton Dial, to contemporary self-taught artists Ken Grimes and Jim Bloom, Keen’s collection spans the breadth of the genre, with particular focus on James Castle and George Widener. Since 2012, the collection has been housed in Philadelphia’s Bethany Mission Gallery, a former Quaker meeting house and school that Keen opens to performing arts groups and for community events.

“Visitors to my Bethany Mission Gallery often ask what it was that attracted me to the world of outsider art. Like others, I have found the question challenging and have concluded that, to a large extent, the allure is visceral and not easily articulated. It’s a question as complex as the much-debated question of how best to refer to the art itself. “Outsider,” “self-taught,” “naïve,” “visionary,” “untrained” are terms variously used, and no one term seems entirely satisfactory. For convenience, I refer to “outsider” art and “outsider” artists as a shorthand, with the understanding that others may favor other descriptives. The biographical narrative of every outsider artist is unique, but most share one or more of the following: no or only limited art training and living with mental or physical infirmities, poverty, educational deficit or being held back by racial discrimination. I have found these aspects of the outsider art world compelling, including the almost always terribly challenging and unfortunate variations in the individual artists’ personal circumstances, circumstances from which the art often flourishes. But personal challenges for the artists aside, the art stands on its own.”

—Victor Keen

Intuit is pleased to share with its audiences Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen, organized by Victor Keen and Bethany Mission Gallery in partnership with the two exhibiting venues, Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, located in Keen’s native Pueblo, Colo., and Intuit. Further support was provided by Janet and Craig Duchossois.

Explore the exhibition with WTTW Chicago Tonight

Take a virtual tour

Welcome to Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen. This is the first view you see when you enter into Intuit's exhibition.
When you turn to your right, a huge mixed media work by George Widener grabs your attention at more than 6 feet tall!
As you work your way further through the exhibition, you encounter another large-scale work, a mixed media assemblage by Purvis Young.
If you were to stand in place and turn, you'd see painted portraiture by Chicago artist Lee Godie next to photographic portraiture by Milwaukee artist Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. Drawings by Martin Ramirez, John Sowell and Laura Craig McNellis are on the adjacent wall.
Marcos Bontempo's dramatic drawing of a man with raised hand couples well with the neighboring Bill Traylor work, as both subjects seem to be mirroring each other in dance-like physical expression.
In this view, you can see the works of William Hawkins in conversation with those of Sam Doyle.
Here's a more in-depth look.
Works by Eddie Arning, Hawkins Bolden, Elijiah Pierce and Clementine Hunter are on view together here.
In the right-hand side of this gallery view, you'll see Renee, a small girl carved and dressed by Calvin and Ruby Black, directly below an Inez Nathaniel Walker portrait, the medium for which she is known.
You've made your way to the Study Gallery, where the exhibition continues.
On the right wall, Jim Bloom and Thornton Dial animate the space with work showcasing color and movement.
Günther Schützenhöfer's drawings—a castle, airplane, rabbit and cow—are grouped together here.
To the right, notice eight ink and salt drawings by Marcus Bontempo, while directly ahead you see a bold painting of a dog by Jimmy Lee Sudduth and Henry Ray Clark's marker and pen drawings on manila folder.
Predominantly black and white, this wall features works by Marcus Bontempo, George Widener and Ken Grimes, all living artists.

Get a closer look

Photos

View photos from Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen on Flickr.

Programs

Opening Reception: Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen
Thursday, February 6, 2020, 5–8 p.m., Intuit

In Conversation: The Making of the Victor F. Keen Collection
Saturday, February 8, 2020, 2 p.m., Intuit

One Night Stand: Martín Ramírez
Thursday, May 27, 2020, 7:30–8 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Art After Work: Martín Ramírez
Thursday, June 18, 2020, 5–6 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

One Night Stand: Eugene Von Bruenchenhein
Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 7:30–8 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Art After Work: Hawkins Bolden
Thursday, July 16, 2020, 5–6 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

One Night Stand: Clementine Hunter
Wednesday, July 29, 2020, 7:30–8 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Artist Talk: George Widener
Wednesday, August 5, 2020, 6–7:30 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Art After Work: Elijah Pierce
Thursday, August 20, 2020, 5–6 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

One Night Stand: George Widener
Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 7:30–8 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

One Night Stand: James Castle
Wednesday, September 30, 2020, 6:30–7 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Art After Work: Frank Jones
Thursday, October 15, 2020, 5–6 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

One Night Stand: Bill Traylor
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 6:30–7 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Art After Work: Inez Nathaniel Walker
Thursday, November 19, 2020, 5–6 p.m. central, Zoom Video Conference

Press coverage

A Virtual Tour Inside Chicago’s Center for Outsider Art, WTTW Chicago Tonight
11 can’t-miss exhibits at Chicago museums in 2020, Choose Chicago
A discerning eye, Chicago Sun-Times
Outsider Art: The Collection of Victor F. Keen, Chicago Reader
Weekend Art Highlights, Chicago Gallery News
Outsider art master artists fill Intuit’s galleries, ArtDaily
Intuiting the Figure, New Art Examiner

Introduction