Deborah Berger (1956 – May 21, 2005) was an American artist noted for her oeuvre of brightly colored textile works created in knitting and crochet. She is considered an outsider artist and a prodigy.
Life Deborah Berger was born in 1956 in Englishtown, New Jersey."The Autistic Woman Who Made Masterpieces: The life and art of Deborah Berger When she died, her work was thrown in the trash. Now, it’s in museums.", Medium.com, April 28, 2022. Accessed September 25, 2022. "Deborah was born in Englishtown, New Jersey sometime in 1956." Berger was autistic and attended boarding schools for special needs children in Texas and Pennsylvania.
Work Deborah Berger started knitting as a young child. By the age of ten she was creating garments for herself. Wearable works were the focus of much of her creative production.
Recognition Berger's work, over 100 pieces including wearable garments, baskets, blankets, games and masks, was discovered by her family after her death in New Orleans in 2005. The New Orleans Museum of Art inventoried the works, and archival documents pertaining to Berger's work and life, and a selection was sent to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.
Collections and exhibits Deborah Berger's work is primarily held in the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Her pieces have been lent to other institutions for exhibitions, including the 2015 exhibit When the Curtain Never Comes Down at the American Folk Art Museum.
References
External links 2015 Behind the Mask: Performance, Ritual, and the Artist 2011 DEBORAH BERGER! CROCHET!!!