Overview

Slavko Kopac. Hidden Treasure. Informal Art, Surrealism, Art Brut accompanies the exhibition Slavko Kopac. Hidden Treasure (Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Florence, September–November 2025). With an introduction by Bernard Blistène, honorary director of the Centre Pompidou and advocate of the acquisition of twelve of Kopac's works into the museum's collection, the book explores a multifaceted artist, deeply connected to Surrealism, Informal Art, and Art Brut. A key collaborator of Jean Dubuffet and the first curator of the “Collection de l'Art Brut”, he played a fundamental part in its promotion and configuration. His magical, totemic universe captivated the Surrealists and led to a collaboration with André Breton. At the same time, critic Michel Tapié included him in Un Art Autre (1952), recognising his originality within the Informal Art movement. He used painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, collage, and art books to explore materiality, intertwining reality and fantasy. The volume features contributions by leading international scholars and an extensive iconographic repertoire, including previously unpublished works and archive documents. Text in English, French and Italian. AUTHORS: Bernard Blistène has been Honorary Director of the Centre Pompidou since 2021 and headed the institution from 2013 to 2021. Katharine Conley is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the College of William & Mary and Edward Tuck Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Emerita, at Dartmouth College. An art historian specialising in Art Brut, Déborah Lehot-Couette is the Scientific and Collections Director at the Dubuffet Foundation. Fabrice Flahutez is a full professor at the Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne and member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Kent Minturn is a lecturer in Columbia University's Department of Art History and Archaeology and is an art historian, critic, translator and theorist of modern and contemporary art. Roberta Trapani is a historian of contemporary art with a Ph.D. awarded by Paris Nanterre and Palermo Universities in an international joint supervision programme. SELLING POINTS: . Kopac's work bridges and intersects with three significant art movements: Surrealism, Informal Art (Art Informel), and Art Brut. This makes him a figure of considerable importance in understanding the postwar art landscape . Kopac's pivotal role as the first curator of Jean Dubuffet's Collection de l'Art Brut adds another layer of significance to his legacy . The book features contributions from leading scholars and includes a wealth of previously unpublished works and archival documents, offering fresh insights into Kopac's life and art . Published to accompany an exhibition at Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, Florence, September–November 2025. . The exhibition and book explore the rich artistic dialogues and exchanges that shaped Kopac's development, highlighting the interconnectedness of the art world in the mid-20th century 60 colour illustrations

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Bernard Blistène has been Honorary Director of the Centre Pompidou since 2021 and headed the institution from 2013 to 2021. Katharine Conley is Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the College of William & Mary and Edward Tuck Professor of French and Comparative Literature, Emerita, at Dartmouth College. An art historian specialising in Art Brut, Déborah Lehot-Couette is the Scientific and Collections Director at the Dubuffet Foundation. Fabrice Flahutez is a full professor at the Université Jean Monnet in Saint-Etienne and member of the Institut Universitaire de France. Kent Minturn is a lecturer in Columbia University’s Department of Art History and Archaeology and is an art historian, critic, translator and theorist of modern and contemporary art. Roberta Trapani is a historian of contemporary art with a Ph.D. awarded by Paris Nanterre and Palermo Universities in an international joint supervision programme.

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