It is with great sadness that the Collection de l’Art Brut has learned of the passing away of Nek Chand on June 12th 2015. He left us at the age of ninety, having realized his dream in Chandigarh by building up a fairytale Rock Garden, second only to the Taj Mahal as India's most popular tourist site. A self-taught artist, his renown stretched across the entire world. His burial included the widest range of honors: a cannon shot, a parade to bear his coffin through the city, and more still. That in itself is very rare in India for an artist. Moreover, considered an event of national scope, the Prime Minister of India himself paid him tribute. 

In his position as a Roads Inspector, during the fifties Nek Chand joined the staff in charge of erecting the capital of Pendjab, as conceived by the French architect of Swiss nationality Le Corbusier. A dream vision impelled him to collect stones and materials salvaged from the city dump, and to use these to assemble—night after night— a project of his own. The resulting environment, today stretching out over several acres, is peopled by countless sculptures of figures and animals aligned side-by-side the length of a series of terraces, patios and cascades. Officially recognized by the authorities and inaugurated in 1976, several bulidings and archways complete the site. In 2005, upon the initiative of the Collection de l'Art Brut, six exhibitions (in Switzerland, France, Italy and Belgium), a film by Philippe Lespinasse and a book devoted to his creative output introduced the European public to Nek Chand and his Rock Garden. In the meantime, the preservation of his oeuvre has proven problematic. His extraordinary creation is a precious heritage for the entire world: as such, tangible support by the city authorities and the backing of professionals are vital to its survival over centuries to come.