Émile Ratier (1894-1984) Don Quixote and Sancho Panza Made of wood, feather and rope 32 x 18 cm Originally from the Lot, Émile Ratier fought in the First World War, losing his sight as a result of his wounds at the age of 65. Now blind, he battled depression by making "wooden articles" with cranks and noisy mechanisms: the Eiffel Tower, gas-powered buses, clocks, merry-go-rounds, boats and so on. After visiting Emile Ratier in December 1971, Jean Dubuffet described the encounter as a "bath in Art Brut" and a "baptism by immersion".