The Home of Folk Art

Museum of Everything Exhibit

The words London, museum, and old seemingly go together in my book.  However, that is not the case with the new, one of a kind, Museum of Everything.  It is London’s first, yes FIRST, outsider art museum.  And, the Britains are loving it!  It has lured in over twenty thousand visitors in the past three months!  I am fairly certain the free tea and biscuits and movie screenings they offer on the weekends don’t hurt either.  If you mistakenly think that because it is the first of it’s kind that it is an inferior product, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Boasting a who’s who of contributors including Thelma Golden, Edward Ruscha, David Byrne, Terry Winters, and Pete Townshend to name only a few.  This exhibition carries some serious power behind the scenes.  It has also been said the collection of artists displayed, in what is properly titled Exhibition #1, is giving the American Folk Art Museum a run for it’s money – not a small feat. 

The Museum of Everything - Alexandre P. Lobanov

The Museum of Everything is the brain child of filmmaker, collector, and folk art aficionado James Brett.  To some BBC Radio 4 listeners this may come as a shock, but the museum is not named for the past comedy sketch The Museum of Everything.  He named it after an article he read which spawned the idea.  The article was about a gentleman named William Brett who had displayed his earthly possessions in one large room of his home and called it his Museum of Everything.  When Exhibition #1 became a reality James Brett called William Brett and asked him if he could use the name.  The answer was yes, and that was that.

Museum of Everything Exhibit

James Brett discovered his love for folk art by happenstance traveling the southern states of the U.S.   If you are new to the art form, the basis behind folk art is that they became artists “not” through the conventional nature of being trained.  In many cases it was very utilitarian, a release from society, a way of coping with life, or a mode of survival.  Learning about the artists and what led them to produce their pieces just adds to the mystique and charm they posses.  Mr. Brett has stated that his fascination with folk art is only increased by all of this.  When he had amassed a collection in his home large enough to be dubbed “a museum” by an acquaintance he decided he would open one himself.  So without further a due, over two hundred perfectly wonderful examples of outsider art to display, and  10,000 square feet of room to do it in – he brought us his Museum of Everything.  London is certainly showing it’s approval!

Museum of Everything photo courtesy of Christoffer Rudquist

The Museum of Everything – Exhibition #1 is open Wednesday – Sunday (in their words) elevenses until suppertime through Valentine’s Day 2010.  You need not shell out any pounds for entry to the exhibit…but mind you, if you like what you see, shell the pounds out in their donation box on the way out.  They rely solely on funding from the public.

Exhibition #1 will be moving to the Agnelli Foundation in Torino, Italy, from April 1st – August 31st, 2010.

-Michelle Daniel

The Museum of Everything – Hours & Info

Corner of Regents Park Road & Sharpleshall Street in Primrose Hill, London NW1

Open Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00 to 6:30

Admission – FREE