We mourn the death of Phyllis Kind, who passed away on September 28, 2018. A pioneering gallerist who championed the innovative work of contemporary artists and who was a towering figure in the worlds of self-taught art and art brut, Kind owned and operated the Phyllis Kind Gallery in New York and Chicago for more than forty years, opening first in Chicago in 1967, followed by New York in 1975. Kind helped to introduce, validate, and create a market for a genre of art—both in the United States and internationally—that did not fit easily into the established art world, exhibiting work by Martin Ramiréz, Carlo Zinelli, Joseph Yoakum, Henry Darger, Hiroyuki Doi, and others who are now among the canon of self-taught masters. Kind was a founding member of Raw Vision’s editorial board, as well as a consultant to the Outsider Art Fair in New York. She was a frequent lecturer at the American Folk Art Museum. In 2008, the American Folk Art Museum inaugurated the annual Visionary Award by recognizing Kind and her seminal contributions to the field. Her passion and independent spirit, along with her intuitive sense for what was unique and significant, is what set her apart in her long career. Our sympathies are extended to her four children, seven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and the many artists and friends whose lives were touched by her.

Photo by Bill Bengtson.