The Grand Arab (He Only Has Sand)

Dismayed by the state of society after the brutalities of World War II, Jean Dubuffet looked to nontraditional artistic sources, especially those of non-Western cultures. Beginning in 1947, Dubuffet took three extended trips to the Sahara; based on the art and culture he experienced on these visits, he made a number of works, including The Grand Arab. In 1951 he developed a personal manifesto critiquing the conformity of Western society and delivered his “Anticultural Positions” in a lecture at the Arts Club of Chicago. He urged for a postwar renaissance: “The values celebrated by our culture do not . . . correspond to the true dynamics of our minds.” His presentation inspired many young artists and collectors in Chicago, who were eager to find new artistic forms that were distinct from the iconic European modernist tradition.