Muriel Haddad French nationality Born in Blanc-Mesnil on June 26th, 1959

Muriel was living in a specialized institution when her parents decided to bring her back home. Her artistic work has two sides, a bright colored one and a dark tragic one, depending on her mood of the moment. She uses whatever she is given and paints as well as draws. Gouache seems to give her more freedom. Her drawings are crowded with flowers, fathers and mothers, perhaps also brothers and sisters. Sometimes the word "Ma" appears.

When she first started drawing, she removed the sheets from her drawing pad, folded them and hid them in a bag that she refused to open and that she carried with her everywhere. Nowadays, she likes to show her drawings and give them away. Her work mirrors her life. As everyone else, she has her moments of weakness and her moments of strength. Since drawing is the only thing she can do, her moments of strength are a gift to us. It is said that Muriel is mentally retarded, in the same way as it is said of Dwight Mackintosh, Johann Hauser, Baudouin Fierens, Fabienne Gilson and others whose creativity is highly inventive. It seems that doctors might rush to the conclusion that someone is retarded when they do not understand him and allow themselves to close up a file if they consider him a lost case. This diagnosis might also make us wonder about the artistic borders that define Art Brut.

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