De l'ordre, nom de Dieu!

I copy what I hear. I thought that looking through the great seeing glass would lay down some great paintings. — Aloïse Corbaz

During the 5 years renovation, programs will unfold across France and around the world. A Centre Pompidou-Grand Palais crossover exhibition took place from June to September 2025. Outsider Art, aka Art brut in French, are produced on the margins of society and in secret. They come to light by chance or through the efforts of someone close to the artist.

In order to reflect the kaleidoscope of themes which characterise Outsider Art, the exhibition was organised like a puzzle, showcasing the unexpected creative wealth which the human mind can unleash when it is not bound by the norm. Besides displaying the work in a traditional manner, the Grand Palais has adopted an immersive and musical way to shimmer the city.

Aloïse Corbaz - who had dreams of becoming an opera singer - fell in love but was sent away to avoid scandal: something that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 1918, she spent the next 40 years creating some 2000 works.

Alice en bataille fleurie et Grenadille bleue, 1941-1951

There are worlds marked by confusion, strange combinations, patchworks of elements which are disarticulated then recomposed. Familiarity vanishes, disconcerting strangeness takes its place. Unlikely scenarios are fuelled by collective imagining of threats that hang over humanity.

Sans titre, vers 1930

When Shinichi Sawada's autism prevented him from attending mainstream schools, he devoted himself to pottery. Working deep in the countryside, he creates monster-like figures covered in an armour of thorns and spikes.

Sans titre, vers 2000

Anne-Françoise Rouche founded La “S” Grand Atelier in 1992 in Belgium, exploring multiple pathways and collaborative practices. The Ave Luia group project, on the theme of religion, was developed between 2014 and 2016 by artists from La “S”, some of whom were accompanied by visiting artists from contemporary art.

Ave Luïa Group Project, 2014-2016

Judith Scott joined the Creative Growth Art Center in 1987, after being reunited with the twin sister she had not seen for thirty-five years. Her practice of encasing objects in tightly woven fibres is no doubt deeply connected to this reunion.

Sans titre, 1990

Ironmonger, plumber, roofer, but also water diviner and healer, Fleury Joseph Crépin was 56 when he was introduced to spiritualism. He painted his first oriental-style temples in 1938, always beginning with a pencil sketch which he then transposed to canvas.

Sans titre, 1941

Thanks to the French filmmaker Bruno Decharme, this exhibition explored his collection, over 300 works, over 45 years through chance meetings and serendipitous discoveries. The creations he has collected were produced outside the recognised artistic world, but today represent an important chapter in art history. He donated these “masterpieces” to Centre Pompidou in 2021.

Speaking of Grand Palais, it was unveiled for the Universal Exhibition in 1900, with its glittering barrel-vaulted glass roof being the largest in the continent. Propped up by 6,000 tonnes of steel painted mignonette green, its glory remained in Paris 2024. Shut since 2021 for renovation, it has opened as a cultural venue in 2025, rendering adoration of its dazzling Art Nouveau interior.