Adolf Wolfli

Adolf Wölfli (Woelfli, Wolfli; 1864 – 1930) was a Swiss artist, who was one of the first artists to be associated with the Art Brut (outsider art) label. Wölfli began to draw after his admission to a psychiatric hospital, where he spent the rest of his life. His first surviving works, a series of 50 pencil drawings, are from 1904 to 1906. He often worked with the barest of materials and traded smaller works with visitors to the clinic to obtain art materials. His work influenced the development and acceptance of Art Brut, and its champion Jean Dubuffet.