Superlative Superlatives

The critics' superlatives to describe Martín Ramírez are superlative. The New York Times' Roberta Smith proclaims that the Mexican artist is "simply one of the greatest artists of the 20th century," while The New Yorker's Peter Schjeldahl writes, "He’s one of my favorite artists, period." Some of you may be thinking, "Ramírez? Who dat?" He's a Mexican "outsider artist," i.e., no formal training and spent most of his life in mental institutions. The American Folk Art Museum is showcasing Ramírez's work, and the critics are in rapture. I'll have to see it to believe it. I have a slight problem with artists who wear their "self-taught" status like a mortar board. I look at the work and say, "Yup. He's self-taught all right." (Images via American Folk Art Museum)