Olivier Theyskens’ inspirations range from the timeless beauty of nature to modern day craftsmanship, and even back to the beginnings of the European movement of Art Brut – particularly to the Swiss artist Aloïse. For NºD, Olivier selected a short excerpt from the 2003 book La voleuse de mappemonde by Jacqueline Porret-Forel, alongside a collection of Aloïse’s works from the collection of Phillipe Eternod & Jean-David Mermod.

Aloïse Corbaz was born in 1886 and was a psychiatric patient in Lausanne, Switzerland for 46 years of her life, after having been exposed to a world of grandeur working as a nanny in the courts of the German Emperor Wilhelm in her late teens. Aloïse’s creative talent was discovered by Jacqueline Porret-Forel in the asylum (where Jacqueline worked as a practitioner).

Aloïse’s artworks are heavily-influenced by the time spent in the court, as they depict a rich world of voluptuous, colourful women in an abstract, mythical world – her ‘grand theatre of the universe’. Feminine figures meld into blossoming flowers, bosoms becoming piles of pastries or roses, and rich backgrounds resound with a dramatic, theatrical set of royal proportions. Her heroine figures can be recognised as women such as Anne Boleyn, the assassinated Empress Elizabeth and many other tragic historical characters.

The holistic world created by Aloïse and the breadth of her body of work caused her to be one of the most acclaimed Art Brut artists, particularly as a woman working at the time. This study of the artwork of a psychiatric patient is an intriguing addition to Olivier’s magazine, and echoes beautifully with his obsessions of couture and craftsmanship – as can be seen in her intricate rendering of garments and accessories in Aloïse’s drawings. It is artwork free from the restriction and structure of a sane mind, pure passion and an unbridled liberty for creation.

Above: Liberté et Patrie, 1958-60 by Aloïse.

Above: Cloisonné de theatre, by Aloïse.

Above: Cloisonné de theatre, by Aloïse.

Above: Cloisonné de theatre, by Aloïse.

Above: Noël by Aloïse.