Christian Berst (born in 1964) is a publisher, gallerist, art collector, exhibition organiser and author. After pursuing his passion for Art Brut as a collector, he founded the 'Christian Berst' gallery in Paris in 2005 - the only gallery specialising in this form of art. Berst owes his reputation to an untiring pursuit of contemporary Art Brut that has taken him all over the world. As a curator, exhibition commissioner and loaner of works to museum exhibitions, he regularly publishes articles and catalogues. From 2011 on, he will edit a multi-volume edition on the art of outsiders.

A jury made up of renowned specialists will select the best works from the entries received from all over Europe and present them at an exhibition in at "Haus der Kunst" Munich. The next euward award will take place in 2010.

Roger Cardinal is Professor Emeritus of Literary & Visual Studies at the University of Kent, England. He is a recognized expert in questions of autodidactic art in Europe and America and wrote the first book on Art Brut, Outsider Art (1972). He deals with Art Brut as an author and curator, for example at the Insita-Triennale in Bratislava. He has also published works about Surrealism and Modern Poetry, and is currently working on a monograph about Kurt Schwitters.
"Signs of presence" by Roger Cardinal ...

Leiko Ikemura was born in Tsu/Mie, Japan, in 1951. She studied at the State University Osaka and moved to Europe in 1972, living first in Spain and then in Zurich. In 1983 she was appointed "Stadtzeichnerin" (resident graphic artist) for the city of Nuremberg, and then moved to Cologne. Since 1991, she has been Professor at the University of Arts, Berlin.
A poem by Leiko Ikemura ...

(*1929), Austrian painter living and working in Vienna. After his early works in the style of Fantastic Realism, Rainer turned towards gestural-expressive forms. From 1951, he overpainted his own and others' paintings. Since 1958 he has performed art projects in which he overpaints his own body and photographic portraits of himself. Rainer is also known for his analyses of art theory, such as his publication "Zur Situation der Moderne" (On the Situation of Modern Art) (1975).
An interview with Arnulf Rainer ...