Andrew Edlin, New York - MEET THE COLLECTOR Part Thirty eight

Andrew Edlin is the owner of Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York, and owns the Outsider Art Fair too. Here we chat about his love of Henry Darger, why he took over the fair and his love for the field that gets him out of bed every day, in part thirty-eight of my ‘Meet the Collector’ series.

Andrew Edlin portrait

1. When did your interest in the field of outsider/folk art begin? 
I was trying to help my late uncle, Paul Edlin, who was an artist making collages out of cut up postage stamps. This led me to American Primitive Gallery and Aarne Anton had immediate success with the work.

2. When did you become a collector of this art?  How many pieces do you think are in your collection now? And do you exhibit any of it on the walls of your home or elsewhere?
I started to buy a few things along the way. I bought my first Henry Darger in 2002 and then another 5 or 6 in 2004. Yes, our home is filled with works from my collection as well as works owned by my wife, Valérie Rousseau. I don’t know the exact number of works, but when you include the estates of my uncle and Albert Hoffman it is probably close to 300.

Henry Darger, Untitled (Angeline)

Henry Darger, Five small works

3. Can you tell us a bit about your background before your Gallery? 
NYC born and raised. I was an English literature major in college, but primarily focused on being a rock musician, which I continued to do full-time into my mid-twenties. I began working for my family business in NY/NJ area while still performing in clubs. My dad was a food broker, so we sold products like peanut butter to the big supermarket chains.

4. What is it that draws your eye away from contemporary art to outsider/folk art? Or do you collect both?
Mostly outsider, but some contemporary. I was able to relate to this field immediately, before I was initiated into the art world. Initially, I felt alienated from most contemporary art. But my eye is drawn to anything that moves me, which has nothing to do with art categories.

5. When did you set up Andrew Edlin Gallery and can you tell us about the art that you showcase?
I started having shows in my house in 1999 and found a makeshift gallery space in 2000-01. Briefly, I handle works by self-taught artists - many canonical ones like Darger and EVB, along with living artists like Joe Coleman, Tom Duncan, Susan te Kahurangi King, Dan Miller, Melvin Way and Domenico Zindato. Estates include Beverly Buchanan, Pearl Blauvelt and Paulina Peavy. I have also worked with contemporary artists steadily throughout my career. Karla Knight was just awarded a solo show at the Aldrich Museum next year.

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, March 7 1960

6. You acquired the Outsider Art Fair in 2012 and held your first fair in New York in January 2013 – can you tell us why you made this decision and what drew you to the fair? Had you been exhibiting there as Andrew Edlin Gallery before this?
I began exhibiting at OAF in 2003 or 4. After the financial downturn in 2008-09 the fair started losing steam with many important exhibitors dropping out. I was having a lot of success at the gallery contextualizing the outsider artists I was handling with the contemporary art world, receiving a ton of press and selling to contemporary collectors. This was a strategy that I felt was perfectly aligned with what OAF needed. OAF was such a beloved fair, but it was pretty much on life support when I stepped in.

7. In that same year you took the fair to Paris for the first time – again can you tell us what drew you to having a second version of the fair and in Europe this time?
My first New York fair in January 2013 exceeded my wildest expectations. We tripled 2012’s attendance and we were lionized by the press. I felt that the momentum was too tremendous to waste.

8. A conflicted term at present, but can you tell us about your opinion of the term outsider art, how you feel about it and if there are any other words that you think we should be using instead? Would you ever consider changing the name of the Outsider Art Fair?
I like it - to me it conjures up non-conformity, which is great when it comes to art. It may not be ideal, but it’s still the best we have. More importantly, people know what you’re talking about. Terms like vernacular and self-taught are really dry. The debate about the term seems cyclical, heats up every 4-5 years. 28 years in, the name of our fair is known throughout the world. We would need something way better to consider changing it. That said, along with band names, I admit that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of alternatives!

Thornton Dial, You Can't Get Away from the Shotgun House, 1994

9. What style of work, if any, is of particular interest to you within this field? (for example is it embroidery, drawing, sculpture, and so on)
No preference

10. Would you say you had a favourite artist or piece of work within your collection? And why?
I have the original set of drawings of Darger’s Vivian Girls. There was a series of small 10 x 8 inch drawings that Darger was thought do have done at the very beginning of his life as an artist - five of them depict the seven Vivian girls.
I love Thornton Dial’s “Shotgun House,” George Widener’s “King of the World.” I have about a dozen Dan Miller’s. They're like children - hard to pick favorites!

11. Where would you say you buy most of your work from: a studio, art fairs, exhibitions, auctions, or direct from artists?
Either from estates or artists I represent and from other dealers.

12. Is there an exhibition in this field of art that you have felt has been particularly important? And why?
"Dubuffet and Art Brut" in 2005. It was a comprehensive look at the history of the field, put together by Jean-Hubert Martin, one of the world’s top curators.

George Widener, King of the World, 2010

13. Are there any people within this field that you feel have been particularly important to pave the way for where the field is at now?
Michel Thevoz, Genevieve Roulin, Roger Cardinal, Phyllis Kind, John Maizels, Edward Gomez, Valérie Rousseau, Bruno Decharme, Sarah Lombardi and James Brett. And dealers like Ricco Maresca, Carl Hammer, John Ollman, Aarne Anton, Henry Boxer and Cavin-Morris. These guys are pioneers who have been putting great work out there for decades.

14. A topical question, but given our current situation with Covid-19, how do you think the art market and art galleries might change moving forward?
There will be more focus on digital exhibitions. Having expensive bricks and mortar operations will be less important.

15. Is there anything else you would like to add?
Just on how much I love what I do. Nothing beats being excited to go to work every morning.