Outsider Art Fair 2025 returns to Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan

Outsider Art Fair (OAF), the premier fair dedicated to self-taught art, art brut, and outsider art, takes place from February 27 to March 2, 2025, at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan. The 33rd edition will feature 66 exhibitors from 40 cities in nine countries.

Founded in New York in 1993, OAF is the original art fair dedicated specifically to self-taught art. Recognized for its maverick spirit, the fair has played a vital role in fostering a passionate collecting community and championing a broader recognition for outsider art in the contemporary art arena. Visitors to the fair can expect to see work by acknowledged masters such as Henry Darger (1892–1973), William Edmondson (1874–1951), Augustin Lesage (1876–1954), Judith Scott (1943-2005), and Bill Traylor (1854-1949), as well as living artists such as Noviadi Angkasapura, (b. 1979), JJ Cromer (b. 1967), Shuvinai Ashoona (b. 1961), M’onma (b. 1951), Julian Martin (b. 1969), Margot (b. 1982), Dan Miller (b. 1961) and Leopold Strobl (b. 1960).

The fair will welcome back renowned dealers like Fleisher/Ollman Gallery (Philadelphia), who will be devoting its entire presentation to works from the estate of long-time American Folk Art Museum board member Audrey B. Heckler, including examples by James Castle (1899-1977), Sam Doyle (1906-1985), Howard Finster (1916-2001), Martín Ramírez (1895-1963), and Bill Traylor. Ricco/Maresca Gallery (New York) will present masterpieces of outsider, self-taught, and art brut from the collection of advertising industry pioneer Robert M. Greenberg. Built over more than 40 years, this collection holds the best examples of works by Darger, Traylor, and Adolf Wölfli (1864-1930), among others. Aarne Anton/Nexus Singularity (New York), Cavin-Morris Gallery (New York), Marion Harris (Connecticut and New York), all of whom have exhibited with OAF since its founding make their returns, and after a five-year hiatus, original exhibitor Henry Boxer (London) will also be on hand.

Other booth highlights include acrylics by Maurice Sullins (1910–1995) at Hana Pietri (Chicago). Referencing the old masters, Sullins’s abstracted landscapes transform recognizable motifs into his own dreamlike painterly language. Akio Nagasawa Gallery will present paintings resembling enlarged scenes from comic books by the manga artist Takashi Nemoto (b. 1958). Toronto-based Feheley Fine Arts, one of the most renowned galleries devoted to art from the Canadian Arctic, will present work by contemporary Inuit artists, while Zürcher Gallery (New York) will feature a solo show of drawings by American poet Ted Joans (1928-2003). A highlight of Connecticut-based James Barron Art’s presentation is the work of the Ukrainian-born artist Janet Sobel (1893–1968), whose abstract paintings were championed by Peggy Guggenheim in the 1940s and were recently featured in a solo exhibition at Houston’s Menil Collection.

The 2025 edition will welcome eighteen first-time exhibitors, including Akio Nagasawa Gallery (Tokyo), BravinLee Programs (New York), Courttree Collective (Brooklyn), Claire Oliver Gallery (New York), Diamond Gallery (New York), Espacio KB (Bogota), Elza Kayal Gallery (New York), Gallery jones (Vancouver) Galerie Khan (Ars-en-Ré, France), Hugues & Olsen (Sydney, Australia), Interact Center for Visual & Performing Arts (Saint Paul, MN), Keith De Lellis Gallery (New York), Modesti Perdriolle Gallery (Brussels), Pan American Art Projects (Miami), Peninsula Art Space (New York), Plataforma ArtBase (Mexico City), The FolkArtwork Collective (Des Moines, Iowa) and Van Der Plaas (New York).

This year’s Curated Space will be “Follow My Moves,” an exhibition of Brazilian self-taught art curated by the São Paulo-based curator, writer, and postdoctoral researcher Mateus Nunes. This diverse selection of works communicates visual and oral histories from native communities and the African diaspora, demonstrating the complexity of artistic and educational dynamics in Brazil from 1950 to present. “Follow My Moves” showcases works by self-taught artists including Brazilian masters such as Amadeo Luciano Lorenzato (1900–1995), Chico da Silva (1910–1985), Conceição dos Bugres (b. 1914), and Maria Lira Marques (b. 1945). These artists were both fueled by their knowledge of cultural traditions while also being in direct dialogue with academic art, which led to a recalibration of established aesthetic systems.

“The 2025 Outsider Art Fair is a testament to the rich diversity of our field, and as always, embraces art from the fringes,” Andrew Edlin, the fair’s owner, said. “As the art world continues to catch on to the power of the work our exhibitors have been championing for decades, a new generation of OAF dealers is discovering artists that will become part of the canon in years to come.”

Accessibility Outsider Art Fair is dedicated to providing access to everyone. If you require assistance during your visit, please contact us at info@outsiderartfair.com for more information.

Metropolitan Pavilion: 125 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011

February 27–March 2, 2025

Open to the public:

Friday, February 28, 2025: 11:00 am–8:00 pm

Saturday, March 1, 2025: 11:00 am–8:00 pm

 Sunday, March 2, 2025: 11:00 am–6:00 pm