Executed in January 1948, Touareg marks a significant shift in Jean Dubuffet’s early post-war practice. This work on paper belongs to a broader cycle of Sahara-inspired pieces, created during a formative period when Dubuffet travelled to North Africa in search of warmth and relief from the severe coal shortages in post-war Paris.
Between 1947 and 1949, Dubuffet and his wife undertook three extended trips to the Sahara. These journeys informed a body of work characterised by stripped-back forms, earth-toned palettes, and an intensified interest in materiality and spontaneity. Touareg, made in crayon and mixed media, reflects Dubuffet’s fascination with the visual culture of the region and his deliberate turn away from academic tradition.
The composition exemplifies Dubuffet’s embrace of raw mark-making and textural immediacy, aligning with his foundational ideas around Art Brut—art made outside the conventional art world, often by self-taught or marginalised creators.
Origin: France
Period/Style: Art Brut
Date: January 1948
Material: Crayon and mixed media on paper
Dimensions: 31.5cm height × 22.5cm width
+ Shipping Info
Executed in January 1948, Touareg marks a significant shift in Jean Dubuffet’s early post-war practice. This work on paper belongs to a broader cycle of Sahara-inspired pieces, created during a formative period when Dubuffet travelled to North Africa in search of warmth and relief from the severe coal shortages in post-war Paris.
Between 1947 and 1949, Dubuffet and his wife undertook three extended trips to the Sahara. These journeys informed a body of work characterised by stripped-back forms, earth-toned palettes, and an intensified interest in materiality and spontaneity. Touareg, made in crayon and mixed media, reflects Dubuffet’s fascination with the visual culture of the region and his deliberate turn away from academic tradition.
The composition exemplifies Dubuffet’s embrace of raw mark-making and textural immediacy, aligning with his foundational ideas around Art Brut—art made outside the conventional art world, often by self-taught or marginalised creators.
Origin: France
Period/Style: Art Brut
Date: January 1948
Material: Crayon and mixed media on paper
Dimensions: 31.5cm height × 22.5cm width
+ Shipping Info
Image 1 of 2
Image 2 of 2