The Gugging Artists and the House of Artists
How drawing tests at a psychiatric clinic near Vienna led to the House of Artists, and the Gugging artists who became famous worldwide.
By The Outsider Artist editors, Editorial team, Website Studio
Updated
· Last reviewed · 3 min read
In short
- Gugging is a village near Vienna, Austria, whose psychiatric clinic, founded in 1885, became a world centre of art brut.
- In the 1950s the psychiatrist Leo Navratil (1921–2006) gave patients drawing tests and discovered gifted artists among them.
- Navratil opened a Centre for Art and Psychotherapy in 1981; his successor Johann Feilacher renamed it the House of Artists in 1986.
- Famous Gugging artists include August Walla, Johann Hauser, Oswald Tschirtner, Johann Garber and the poet Ernst Herbeck.
- The museum gugging opened in 2006; the clinic itself closed in 2007, but artists still live and work at the House of Artists.
How did Gugging become a centre of art?
In the 1950s Leo Navratil, a young psychiatrist at the Maria Gugging clinic, began asking patients to make drawings as part of diagnosis. He noticed that some of them produced work of striking originality and kept encouraging them. His book Schizophrenie und Kunst (1965) attracted Viennese artists to the clinic, and in 1970 the first exhibition of "Gugging artists" was held at a Vienna gallery.
In 1981 Navratil opened the Centre for Art and Psychotherapy in a separate building, where selected artists could live and work. When he retired in 1986, his successor, the psychiatrist and sculptor Johann Feilacher, renamed it the House of Artists, putting the emphasis on art rather than therapy. Navratil's approach has since been criticised by some as paternalistic, but his role in bringing these artists to attention is not in doubt.
What is the House of Artists like?
The House of Artists is an assisted-living community where artists live and work with support for as long as they wish. Its outside walls are painted with the residents' own imagery, so the building is itself a work of art. The artists own the galerie gugging, founded in 1994, which sells their work, and the museum gugging, opened in 2006, shows their work alongside international art brut. The clinic closed in 2007, and the site is now part of the Art Brut Center Gugging.
Which Gugging artists should you know?
- August Walla (1936–2001)
- Lived at the House of Artists from 1983. He built a private mythology of gods, symbols and invented words, and painted it on paper, on his room, on houses and trees, and in photographs. He is one of the most celebrated Gugging artists.
- Johann Hauser (1926–1996)
- Known for bold, energetic drawings of women, stars, snakes and objects in strong colour. Navratil wrote a book about his work.
- Oswald Tschirtner (1920–2007)
- Drew from 1971 to 2006 in a spare, reduced style, most famously elongated human figures made from a few lines.
- Johann Garber (born 1947)
- Known mainly for dense, detailed ink drawings, as well as colourful paintings and objects.
- Ernst Herbeck (1920–1991)
- The best-known poet among the Gugging artists, who found his voice through writing despite a speech disorder.
- Johann Fischer (1919–2008)
- Began his artistic development after moving into the House of Artists in 1982, combining writing and drawing.
Younger artists continue the tradition, including Leonhard Fink, known for detailed pencil maps, and Laila Bachtiar.
Can you visit Gugging?
Yes. The museum gugging, the galerie gugging and the public studio are open to visitors at Maria Gugging, near Klosterneuburg, a short journey from Vienna. Check the museum's website for opening times and exhibitions before you go. See outsider art museums in Europe and the US.
Why does Gugging matter?
Gugging showed that art made in a psychiatric setting could be developed, supported and sold with the artists' interests at heart. It became a model for psychiatric reform and for the supported studios that now exist around the world.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1885 | Psychiatric clinic founded at Maria Gugging |
| 1950s | Leo Navratil begins drawing tests with patients |
| 1965 | Navratil publishes Schizophrenie und Kunst |
| 1970 | First exhibition of the Gugging artists in Vienna |
| 1981 | Centre for Art and Psychotherapy opens |
| 1986 | Johann Feilacher renames it the House of Artists |
| 1994 | galerie gugging founded |
| 2006 | museum gugging opens |
| 2007 | The psychiatric clinic closes |
Where to go next
Read about supported studios today or art from the asylum.
Sources and further reading
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