Book Review. Outsider Art and Art Therapy: shared histories, current issues and future identities. By Rachel Cohen, Jessica Kingsley 2017

Abstract

I found this a very frustrating and disappointing book on an important topic. It is quite American, both in its subject-matter and its style, and is not very well written. Most of the principal issues are flagged up, but not early enough, and proper discussion of them, which is often cursory, is often postponed until towards the end. Knowing the expense of reproduction, I was surprised that half-a-dozen of the plates (e.g. Hogarth, Pinel, Blake & Rousseau) were all- too familiar and not really relevant, besides being rather murky. I am afraid that this is not a book I would recommend, and it is a pity that it now looks as though the subject has been covered.