Florian Ludwig
Florian Ludwig believed his destiny was to be recognized as a great artist with his own museum, so he never sold any of his pieces. The self-taught and deeply spiritual artist died at age 88: “the first day of Spring, early in the morning he left as the first signs of Light moved over the planet,” writes Terry, his widow.
Terry, 40 years his junior, did everything she could to keep the collection intact— and to keep alive his visions of peace and light. After the storage costs became too much for her, she asked a friend to help dispose of the contents of the warehouse unit where his sculptures, collages, and jewelry were kept. The entire collection was acquired by Lisa Stone Arts in 2010, and we are convinced that he deserves recognition among the outsider ranks for his fastidious craftsmanship and spiritual vision. 
“When Florian was a boy he heard the most beautiful music in the woods at the edge of his town. He followed the music and came to a stream where there was a light ray coming down. It was music from another dimension and it touched him deeply,” Terry says. He kept his visions to himself, fearing punishment from the nuns at his Catholic school, as well as from his parents. He remained deeply religious his whole life, though in later years he transitioned from organized religion to a more personal vision. According to Terry, “He was very energetic and woke early each morning, it was at times like this he received messages from the Universe.” 
Florian called his art Lovisionism. Each of his creations was and remains virtual prayers of peace and goodwill, and the angels that appear throughout his oeuvre are the harbingers of his message. His meticulously crafted crowns and crosses are unlike anything else in contemporary folk art, and he also made jewelry based on these spiritual themes, along with amazing copper boxes in which to keep them. In addition to metal and stones, Florian used velvet, wood, cardboard, wallpaper, and carpet to construct objects of prayer and worship.
Florian’s art was “motivated by a request (to do whatever he could to promote Peace) by his Mother after he and his two other brothers returned from World War II,” Terry writes. “He created his art with Love and a Vision that it could inspire in others Inner Peace. He was always creating something.”
Lisa Stone Arts is the exclusive representative of the Ludwig Collection.
Why we show who we do
It’s been said that much is often lost to the refinement of a formal education, and whereas our gallery artists are mostly self-taught, they are proof of this. At Lisa Stone Arts we cherish artists who have severed ties with or were never part of the established ways of thinking, being and doing. In turn, we look to institutions and collectors who value creative imagery on the artists’ own, often unconventional, terms. We represent active artists who work on the fringes and invest in artists’ estates of who deserve recognition in both public and private realms.
As examples, Florian Ludwig and Milton Ellis’s lifes’ works were on the verge of being lost forever. Ludwig’s artwork was being tossed into a dumpster until a friend called a friend who called the gallery and Ellis’ murals only survived because his friend intervened and also came to Lisa Stone Arts. Neither artist had a track record; both worked in obscurity, delving into their private worlds, and mining deep into their psyches to leave bodies of paintings and sculptures that are without precedent.
Celebrating creative freedom is what we are about. Lisa Stone Arts recognizes artists with fresh voices and insightful visions, who have been overlooked and under-recognized, whose raw energy and unfettered views often run counter to the academic ways.
The distinction between outsider artists and formally-trained artists has dissolved, largely because of the scholarly posit that art is art and labeling leads to categorizing which leads to marginalization–and outsider artists are labeled and therefore marginalized. Nevertheless, with their adoption into the art gallery world and into museum culture, these artists are less and less distanced from public view and even academic scrutiny. They are integrated and this new found popularity has caused a sort of seismic shift to the once isolated world of outsider art–it’s become mainstream.
The new lack of class distinction has blurred lines, led to a lack of critical awareness and even gave rise to trained artists making faux folk art. Analysis is needed more than ever to discern the genuine articles from the weak, trendy and decorative. Lisa Stone Arts is dedicated to foster interpretation and awareness of the artists and their creative milieu. And we look forward to being part of the conversation and arbiters of connoisseurship in the field.
