Over the years, several terms have been created to define the art made by these unique creators: psychopathological art, art brut, degenerate art, outsider art. We don’t set a definition for this practice, as authentic art doesn’t have rigid parameters. Without any conventions, creativity, more than ever, prevails.

The majority of our artists never had access to the formal art field. That explains the freedom and boldness of their creation, they simply follow their inner music.

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Photos: Nise da Silveira SAMII Archive

As it is directly related to the painting and sculpture studios, the museum continues to grow.

The experience in the studios proves the effectiveness of the therapeutic method used and is in line with the fight against asylums. The doors and windows of the studios are always kept open, without limits to its territory and talents. Creativity and individual freedom are believed to be fundamental factors for the exercise of citizenship.

As a result of these practices, the studios constitute a multidisciplinary field of professional improvement and specialization; they offer contemporary society the possibility of different interpretations of the inner riches of the human being. As such, they contribute to changing stigmatizing paradigms about those who suffer from mental illness.