Hans Prinzhorn , born with Hemer (Germany) the June 6th 1886, deceased the June 14th 1933 with Munich is a psychiatrist and historian of German art . It is especially known to have studied and have constituted an important collection of psychopathological art .

Its work, crystallized in its book Expressions of the Madness ( Bildnerei der Geisteskranken - 1922), upset the glance of the artists and the company on the “art of insane” with the XXème century. They were a deep source of enthusiasm for Paul Klee and influenced max Ernst (and by its skew the Surréalistes). They also inspired Jean Dubuffet to initiate his Collection of rough art in 1945.

The Collection studied by Prinzhorn is also known to be included in the emblematic exposure of degenerated art (organized by the Nazi regime) in 1937, with Munich and in nine other cities. Works the “insane ones” are then exposed to the sides of works of avant-garde (expressionism, surrealism, cubism, etc) with an only aim of ridiculing these last.

Biography

Hans Prinzhorn was born with Hemer in Westphalia the June 6th 1886. He studied the history of art and the philosophy with the Université of Vienna.

In 1919, he becomes the assistant of Karl Willmanns to the Psychiatric hospital of the Université of Heidelberg. One charges it with studying the collection of drawings and paintings of the institution, and it decides for that to widen the corpus of works. It puts such a heat at it (sendings of letter-circulars to many colleagues, searches asylum in asylum…) that two years later, the collection of Heidelberg joins together more than 5000 work carried out by nearly 450 “cases”!

Its research will lead in 1922 to the publication of its book Bildnerei der Geisteskranken ( Expressions of the Madness ). It is one of the first and the most daring attempts at exploration of the limits between art and psychiatry, the disease and the creative expression. Abundantly illustrated examples of works drawn from the collection, the book is a success, particularly near the artistic scene which, of Paul Klee with the Surréalistes, is filled with enthusiasm. In 1945, the painter Jean Dubuffet will take up on his account this idea to explore the universe of the psychiatric hospital in order to constitute of it a collection of works of art, which will lead it to develop the concept of rough Art besides (its own collection will include/understand several “artist-patients” present at Heidelberg).

After having resigned of Heidelberg as of 1921, Prinzhorn tries a career of psychotherapist: after short stays with Zurich, Dresden and Wiesbaden, it ends up opening a cabinet with Frankfurt in 1925. But the customers are rare, and he saw especially conferences and of his publications (of tens of articles in the press and specialized magazines, as well as a half-dozen of works). In 1929, it divorces a third marriage and knows depressive periods. It is withdrawn then in a room of student with Munich. At the time when its days appear more lenient, it is carried by a pulmonary embolism the June 14th 1933.

See too

The Prinzhorn Collection

Since 2001, works of the collection are presented to the public permanently in a room of the Psychiatric hospital of the Université of Heidelberg, with the organization of temporary exhibitions.

Notorious creators of the Collection (studied by Prinzhorn in its book)

• Karl Brendel
• August Klotz
• Johann Knüpfer
• August Neter
• Franz Pohl
• Adolf Wölfli

The book of Prinzhorn

Exposure

• the foolish beauty , Prinzhorn Collection, Palate of the Art schools, Charleroi, Belgium, 1995

External bonds

• the Collection Prinzhorn
• Presentation of the exposure '' the Foolish Beauty ''

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