Jardin de Bibi Trompette (Bibi Trompette's Garden) 1955

Jean Dubuffet made *Jardin de Bibi Trompette* in 1955 with gouache, ink, and butterfly wings on paper. Dubuffet used decidedly unconventional materials. Instead of traditional art supplies, he gathered butterfly wings, a fragile and ephemeral material. The wings bring inherent qualities of delicacy, color, and texture to the composition. The mosaic-like arrangement gives a sense of dense proliferation, evoking a natural environment. Consider the painstaking process of collecting, arranging, and adhering each wing, which imbues the artwork with a sense of labor and care. Dubuffet was associated with Art Brut or ‘raw art’, made outside the academic tradition. By incorporating elements from the natural world, Dubuffet blurred the boundaries between high art and everyday life. He challenged the traditional hierarchy of materials and techniques, prompting us to reconsider our notions of beauty, value, and the creative process itself.