Artists with Autism

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Hiya everyone!
I'm helping a friend out with a newspaper article, and we need a list of names of artists with autism (although artists with any mental 'condition' would be equally useful). Rather than spend hours dredging through the forum finding one of the lists of famous Aspies, I was hoping that some of you would be able to churn up a list of names for me. Obviously, it'd be better if they were confirmed cases, rather than speculated ones.
Thanks for your help!

Its been so long since Ive seen you post I thought you died or something :P

I'm positive that Thelonious Monk had asperger's. Watch the movie "Straight No Chaser" and you'll see what I mean.

Diagnosed Aspie musicians:

Craig Nicholls (vocalist of The Vines)
Gary Numan

I heard rumours about Michael Stipe of REM as well, but I am not sure if those rumours are true.

Personally I think Morrissey is either aspie or at least a borderline aspie, but again there is no proof.
Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd) is often considered an aspie but in that era a professional diagnosis simply did not exist so we cannot be sure.

For a somewhat professional article I would stick to the diagnosed ones. Nicholls and Numan.

Thanks for that!

Not dead yet, username88 - just been in hiding

Maybe you should say what kind of artists you mean.
I write poetry, and I'm quite prolific, but I doubt you're that interested.
I imagine certain classical musicians have had ASD, I mean, they spent extreme amounts of time writing music, some even sacrifizing their health and wealth.
Anyway I just don't know what kind of artist you have in mind. Sorry if this is spam.

What about Andy Warhol?

This is why I kept it vague - we're looking at all types of art. As long as you can call them an Artist, I'd like to hear of them!

Although it is surely probable that there is a relationship between Asperger Syndrome and autism it is probably extreme to search for autistic artists. Since both AS people and autistic people seem to have a large capability in thinking visually it seems likely that both might be capable in graphic arts.

Stephen Wiltshire.

Found this great website yesterday with info on autistic artist savants...Richard Wawro was fantastic!

http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome

All really great contributions, thanks once again!

Great contributions. I do know that van Gogh suffered from intense melancholia, and it's considered probable that Beethoven suffered from psychiatric oddities himself. Mozart was an ass whose ignominious fate was well-deserved, but he's considered one of the most probable Aspies in musical history; his music, however, was technical to the point of absurdity and as impoverished of passion as the idiot Romantics were of enlightenment, and he was arrogant to the point of making him obnoxious; his music is bland, and it only really appeals to musical theorists who are as arrogant and annoying as he was in his time. Of course, I will not deny that his intellect was remarkable and his ideas worthy in spite of being impoverished of flavor. One other thing I respect him for is naming one of his canons something along the lines of "Lick my ass until it is nicely finely beautifully clean."

I don't know beans about music but I sure as hell like Mozart. He may have been an as*hole personally but his music grooves.