Merritt, Gene Search Take part in the #ArtBrutChezMoi Instagram contest Post your Art Brut poster and maybe win the collector's satchel of the 50 posters from the Art Brut Collection Learn more News Shop Art Brut The museum Missions History The place Documentation Center Authors Search Inventory Discovering Art Brut What is Art Brut? Listenning to Art Brut Art Brut around the world Program Exhibitions Permanent exhibition Temporary exhibitions Upcoming exhibitions Archives Agenda All activities and events This week 50th anniversary of the museum Festivities program News, projects, behind the scenes Visit Practical information Opening Hours and Prices Accessibility Bookshop Restoration Visitor charter Groups and individuals For students For schools For chidcare center For you Family Publics with specific needs Upcoming appointments Tickets News Shop Art Brut The museum Authors Discovering Art Brut Program Exhibitions Agenda 50th anniversary of the museum Visit Practical information Groups and individuals For you News Shop Tickets THE-N.A.S.A-SpACE-Mission, Merritt, Gene, 1994 Authors Merritt, Gene 1936-2015, USA Clyde Eugène Merritt, known as Gene Merritt (1936-2015), was born in Columbia, South Carolina. As a child, a bout of heavy fever injured his brain. The alcoholism of his parents also left a mark on the young boy, causing frequent stays at care homes or with his aunts. His mother committed suicide when he was twelve, leading him to join his father at Fort Mill. There he attended public school, but not up to graduation. Having become dependent on alcohol, he took up a series of unstable jobs. At the death of his father in 1972, he was placed in a care home. He went on to move into a trailer in the city of Rock Hill, growing increasingly reliant on the social services. He had a passion for electronic devices and music since childhood: he himself played the electric guitar and bass. He probably did his first drawings in the trailer, but went on to do most of them at his favorite downtown café. He portrayed hundreds of musicians in ballpoint pen, as well as film stars and local VIPs, resorting to a graphic style all of his own: he would segment the facial features using multiple lines, and organize his compositions in puzzle-like fragments, systematically inscribing their titles and captions on the backside. -Just- A-OrDNArY-MALE-, Merritt, Gene, 2001 Artwork selection from the Collection Shop 6 items available Books, objects and posters Find in the online shop a selection of products related to the author See full shop Vehicles (french version) Véhicules (édition en français), Michel Thévoz and Anic Zanzi, with a Preface by Sarah Lombardi, Vehicles, Lausanne/Milan, Collection de l’Art Brut/5 Continents Editions, 2013, Art Brut, la collection Directed by Sarah Lombardi.20,5 x 25,5 cm, 168 pages, 130 color illustrations. More Vehicles Vehicles (english version), Michel Thévoz and Anic Zanzi, with a Preface by Sarah Lombardi, Vehicles, Lausanne/Milan, Collection de l’Art Brut/5 Continents Editions, 2013, Art Brut, la collection Directed by Sarah Lombardi.20,5 x 25,5 cm, 168 pages, 130 color illustrations. More People People, curated by Anic Zanzi, Lausanne : Collection de l’Art Brut, 2016, 38 pages. More The Art Brut Fascicle N°21 The Art Brut Fascicle N°21, 18 x 24 cm, 150 ill. black/white or color, about 160 pp. Since 1964 to 2013. In French. One fascicle CHF 30.- Price Complete collection, 25 fascicles (N°2 - N°26) : CHF 720.- More Visages (in french) Marc Décimo, Sarah Lombardi and Pascal Roman, Faces, Lausanne/Milan, Collection de l’Art Brut/5 Continents Editions, 2023, « Art Brut, la collection », under the direction of Sarah Lombardi, 153 pages, over 100 color plates, available in French or English. Faces (inenglish) Marc Décimo, Sarah Lombardi and Pascal Roman, Faces,Lausanne/Milan, Collection de l’Art Brut/5 Continents Editions, 2023, « Art Brut, la collection », under the direction of Sarah Lombardi, 153 pages, over 100 color plates, available in French or English. Books, objects and posters Find in the online shop a selection of products related to the author See full shop Exhibitions See all exhibitions → Related to the author 6th Art Brut biennial: Faces From 8 December 2023 to 28 April 2024  Acquisitions 2012-2018 People From 3 July 2016 to 13 November 2016  Vehicles From 8 November 2013 to 27 April 2014  " True art is always where you least expect it ". Jean Dubuffet Newsletter Address 11, av. des Bergières CH - 1004 Lausanne +41 21 315 25 70 Practical information About Accessibility Association of Friends of Art Brut Visitor Charter Team Bookstore For professionals Researchers School supervisors Media Partners Our partners Legal notices|Data protection Website created by wgr