Soon after the publication of the book Schizophrenie und Kunst (Schizophrenia and Art) by the Austrian psychiatrist Leo Navratil in 1965, the Art from Gugging and Gugging Artists attracted an international interest reaching far beyond the Austrian avant-garde. For the first time, an exhibition gathers side by side works from the fields of music, painting, photography, literature and fashion design in order to present them alongside the works that inspired many famous artists.
David Bowie, who visited in 1994 with Brian Eno and multimedia artist André Heller, was one among many who came in search of inspiration. Arnulf Rainer, a passionate collector of works of Art Brut, made explicit references to such works in many of his own pieces, such as Manisch Mädel (Manic Girl). In 1995, he went one step further in arranging the creation of collaborative works with Johann Fischer, Johann Garber, Johann Hauser, Franz Kamlander, Franz Kernbeis, Johann Korec, Oswald Tschirtner and August Walla. Such as the Austrian writer Gerhard Roth who was interested not just in the artworks but in the personalities of the artists, as well. Artists who left their mark on his novels.
