George Widener: Secret Universe IV

American artist George Widener (born 1962) developed a passion for calendars, numbers and numerology, historical data, population statistics, and mathematical calculations early on in life. His clearly structured drawings combine actual historical events with his computations, analyzing both world affairs and his biography, and developing codes for super-intelligent computers of the future. Influenced by the theories of Ray Kurzweil, a leading scientist in artificial intelligence, Widener believes that in 2045 high-performance computers will fuse with the human brain and transform consciousness into software. For Widener, numbers and data are part of his inner structure, the fundamental system of his world perception. This fourth volume in the Secret Universe series on outsider artists provides insight into Widener’s complex vision, presenting his most important groups of work as well as a series of new autobiographical drawings.

Jonathan Lerman: Drawings by an Artist with Autism

The remarkable story of Jonathan Lerman, a young autistic artist, seized the attention of the art world at the 2002 Outsider Art Fair. Coverage by The New York Times, The Today Show, 48 Hours, and other international media has brought him into millions of homes across the country. This selection of 50 drawings, with a text by critic Lyle Rexer, presents the full range and astonishing growth of Jonathan's extraordinary talent. Diagnosed with autism and at first non-verbal, Jonathan began drawing at age ten. By age 12, his drawings were exhibited in a solo exhibition at K. S. Art in New York. Working with the assurance of a Matisse, the speed of a Picasso, and the humor of a born cartoonist, Jonathan has created an unforgettable body of work. His drawings include portraits of actual figures as well as figures from his own imagination, all rendered with great acuity. These drawings overturn the stereotype of the so-called savant artist as an unchanging talent sprung to life fully formed. Instead, they detail the restless experimentation and rapid growth of an artistic sensibility. Jonathan Lerman: The Drawings of a Boy with Autism is a book not just for art lovers but for everyone who values the rich diversity of the creative imagination. In addition to an illuminating essay on Jonathan's work, the book also contains an afterword by Caren Lerman, Jonathan's mother, describing the sudden appearance of his talent and the challenges and satisfactions of raising a gifted child.

Matthew Wong: The Realm of Appearances

Self-taught artist Matthew Wong (1984–2019) painted intimate landscapes that recall Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, 17th-century Qing period ink painting, and contemporary artists he admired, including Philip Guston (1913–1980), Yayoi Kusama (b. 1929), Joan Mitchell (1925–1992), and Bob Thompson (1937–1966). Matthew Wong: The Realm of Appearances offers the first formal survey of Wong's six-year painting career that began in Hong Kong and matured in Canada. It includes new scholarship with a focus on his process and commitment to conversation, experimentation, and connection. Through his unique visual language, Wong fostered dialogue between not only himself and other artists, but other artists and each other. The five essays are lavishly illustrated with approximately 70 of Wong's paintings and include a selection of his writings.

Drawing Autism

Using artwork created by autistic individuals, Drawing Autism celebrates their artistry and self-expression while also serving as an accessible point of entry into understanding how autism manifests. Behavior analyst and educator Mullin has assembled a staggering array of work from established artists like Gregory Blackstock and Jessica Park, to the unknown but no less talented. Through their art, the contributors exhibit unique perspectives on how they see the world and their places in it. Their creations, coupled with artist interviews, comprise a fascinating and compelling book that serves to educate and inspire anyone who knows someone on the autism spectrum.

Art is Art: Collaborating with Neurodiverse Artists at Creativity Explored

Who gets to make art, and who gets to define it? For the past 40 years, San Francisco nonprofit Creativity Explored has sought to broaden the answers to these questions by providing artists with developmental disabilities the opportunity to make and share their work with the contemporary art world. Art Is Art is a powerful collection of hundreds of perspectives and pieces created in Creativity Explored's studios by this talented community of neurodiverse artists. Featuring original paintings, drawings, sculptures, and more — as well as quotes from and stories about the artists — this collection invites readers to reexamine their perceptions about disability, justice, and the beauty of art.