The Outsider Art Fair is the wacky escapism we all need right now

Given the high-stakes drama that’s marked the first three weeks of 2020—an assassination in Iran, a retaliatory strike on U.S. bases in Iraq, an impeachment hearing, and, yes, the royal Megxit—the 28th Outsider Art Fair that rolled into New York last week offered the creative class the kind of winter escapist breather that sun-worshippers seek in Miami. The four-day fair, which focuses on self-taught art created outside the mainstream, featured the work of hundreds of artists, with exhibitors from 35 cities and 10 countries. Here, a few brilliant, beautiful, and offbeat highlights.