Migraine Art

Outsider art is generally narrowly defined as simply the spontaneous work of unschooled, obsessive people, often religious fanatics, prisoners, and mental patients. But there are many variations, one of the more unusual of which is the subject ofMigraine Art.Pharmaceutical executive Derek Robinson pioneered the field in 1973 when he solicited graphic material for an ad campaign promoting a new drug for migraine prevention. This inspired public competitions in the 1980s encouraging artists, amateur and professional, to illustrate the pain, the visual disturbances, and the effects migraine had on their lives.Migraine Artcollects outstanding examples of such work, along with descriptions of types of migraine visual phenomena. The book features a comprehensive view of the migraine aura experience and covers such topics as migraine signs, symptoms, triggers, and treatments, as well as types of visual hallucinations and somatic sensations and experiences. Each category of visual disturbance is accompanied by related artwork. A discussion of the migraine visual experiences of famous historical figures, such as Blaise Pascal and Lewis Carroll, provides historical context. The book also includes a history of our Migraine Art competitions and information about the fascinating Migraine Art collection.

Klaus Podoll, MD, is a neurologist and psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at RWTH Aachen University in Germany. Coeditor in chief of the Migraine Aura Foundation website, he lives in Aachen. Derek Robinson was a career marketing executive for Beohringer Ingelheim Limited. He died in 2001 at age 83.