Joesph Crepin

This disciple of Augustin Lesage lived in Pas-de-Calais (France) and owned a small plumbing business. He played clarinet in his father's cafe-nightclub. Later he directed a brass band before heading a groudp of trumpets. Crepin was introduced to Spiritualism in 1930 and became a spirit-healer the following year.. His first drawings date back to 1938, when he was 63. He the produced some paintings dedicated to him by the dead, which he named his "marvelous paintings". This production occupied him for the last ten years of his life. His rigorously detailed works-flat compositions-portray fantastic architectural forms. The are decorated by series of droplets of colour paint produced by a secret method. In accordance with his wished, he was buried with all the drawings which had served as his

drafts.

Extract from "Art Brut, The Origins of Outsider Art" by Lucienne Peiry