The Forest (La forêt)

Jean Dubuffet was a proponent of art brut, an expressive, materially rich aesthetic inspired by the spontaneity he perceived in art created by makers outside of Western artistic traditions. Dubuffet had strong ties to Chicago ever since delivering his landmark lecture "Anti-Cultural Positons" at the Arts Club in 1951.

Although The Forest was never intended to be displayed outdoors or scaled up to an urban setting, it dates to a moment when Dubuffet was in high demand for such work. In 1984 a related work of his, Monument with Standing Beast, was constructed at the new State of Illinois Center (now James R. Thompson Center), designed by Helmut Jahn for Murphy/Jahn.