The exhibition PHOTO | BRUT is a continuation of the American Folk Art Museum’s commitment to champion the works of self-taught artists—this time with a focus on the ever-changing field of photography, the frontiers and accessibility of which expanded proportionally with the invention of portable and affordable cameras. It welcomes the substantial art brut photography collection of French filmmaker Bruno Decharme and speaks to Decharme’s subjective collecting activity that brought him—without the parameters of a historical framework—from one discovery to another. The exhibition is complemented by the museum’s holdings, as well as by artworks treasured by American collectors and public organizations.

To expose relationships between these various, inimitable artistic postures, PHOTO | BRUT is organized in four loose yet interconnected sections, probing themes of gender expansiveness, intimacy, image appropriation, and conjuring practices that seek connections to the imperceptible.