Arnold Schmidt Austrian, b. 1959

Arnold Schmidt is among the artists associated with the Gugging, group a community of artists originating from the Haus der Künstler (House of Artists) established in 1981 by psychiatrist Leo Navratil at the Lower Austrian Psychiatric Hospital in Maria Gugging, near Vienna. Navratil recognized that certain patients produced artworks that far exceeded the scope of traditional art therapy, leading to their public exhibitions in the 1970s. With support from museum officials and artists, including painter Arnulf Rainer, these artists gained wider recognition. 

Over time, the Haus der Künstler expanded to include studios, a lecture hall, a sales gallery, a gift shop, and a museum. Today, under the direction of psychiatrist and artist Johann Feilacher, it operates as the Art/Brut Center Gugging.  

Schmidt, one of the younger Gugging artists, is known for his mixed-media works, characterized by a swift yet precise technique. Since 1989, he has exhibited his drawings and paintings—often focused on figures and faces—at institutions such as the Stadtmuseum Oldenburg, the Neues Museum Weserburg in Bremen, and the Stichting Museum of Naïve and Outsider Art in Bunnik, Netherlands. His work continues to be featured in exhibitions across Europe, reflecting the lasting influence of the Gugging group in contemporary outsider art.