The American Folk Art Museum will be ushering in two new exhibitions this spring and summer, both of which come from artists whose works were entirely created in psychiatric hospitals. Carlo Zinelli (1916-1974) and Eugen Gabritschevsky: Theater of the Imperceptible explore the work of two phenomenal artists who didn’t begin painting until late into their adult lives, and the creations that came from their stays in psychiatric hospitals are some of the most captivating artworks to have ever been displayed in the American Folk Art Museum.

The exhibitions will be on view from March 14th, 2017 through August 20th, 2017. 

Carlo Zinelli (1916-1974)

Carlo Zinelli’s story is not your typical one. Born into humble dwellings, Zinelli left school early on to work on a farm in his native Italy. He later joined the military and was drafted to fight with General Franco, an experience that had huge repercussions on his psyche. After returning from Spain, his speech became more and more difficult for others to understand, eventually leading to his stay in a psychiatric hospital amid other serious mental health issues that bubbled up following his return from the military. Zinelli entered a psychiatric hospital in Verona in 1947, where he stayed for the rest of his life. It was in that psychiatric hospital that Zinelli first started painting in 1957 (after a few attempts at making terracotta sculptures). 

Carlo Zinelli (1916-1974) will feature fifty-five artworks of the late Zinelli, many of which are double-sided and on loan from private collections across the world. The exhibitions will also have never before seen images from Life magazine, an audio interview with Zinelli, a film screening, and archival documents on display to the public.

Eugen Gabritschevsky: Theater of the Imperceptible

Gabritschevsky had two passions which ran his life: scientific observation and artistic expression. Raised in a family of privilege in pre-revolutionary Russia, Gabritschevsky was fascinated by nature, and insects in particular kept him captivated as a young child. He later went on to study biology and genetics at the University of Moscow, followed by completing his post-doctoral studies at Columbia University, where he delved into color patterns in insects. Following his time at Columbia, Gabritschevsky began working at the Pasteur Institute, where his mental health began to decline and forced him to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 1931 in Munich, Germany. As with Zinelli, it was in a psychiatric hospital that Gabritschevsky created his enormous body of work, totaling around 3,000 pieces.

Eugen Gabritschevsky: Theater of the Imperceptible will be the first major retrospective of painter Eugen Gabritschevsky (1893–1979), containing 88 works of art, including gouaches, watercolors, and ink and pencil drawings.

About the American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum is dedicated to the conservation, preservation, and interpretation of traditional folk art and the creative expressions of contemporary self-taught artists from across the globe. 2 Lincoln Sq., 212-595-9533, folkartmuseum.org