Cover Photo: A flying-fish statue, made of antler, created by the artist Fritz Kistel, owned by the author’s family. Photograph courtesy of the author.
A flying-fish statue, made of antler, owned by the author’s family. Photograph courtesy of the author.

Why Create Art When No One Will See It?

Fritz Kistel was a reclusive artist who produced a body of work so fabulously unproductive—in the capitalist sense—that I can’t help but admire him: He created for himself.

Mahtani, Sunil. “Arts tourism flourishes in Knowlton area.” Arts and Entertainment Magazine (July 14-21, 1995).

The New Yorker

[Outsider artists] create art “as a way to realize their inner vision and to deal with the possible trauma or hardship that they’ve lived through.”

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Invitation Card, 1998. C13 D2 651 1998. La Guilde’s Archives, Montréal, Canada.

Gazetteunproductive

Fritz on the beach, 2012. Photograph courtesy of the author.


Liam Greenwell is a teacher and writer, currently based in Mexico City and originally from Cambridge, Mass. You can read more of his work at liamgreenwell.com.