1901 Jean Dubuffet is born on the 31 July to a wine merchant family in Le Havre.
1908 Begins secondary education in the Lycée François 1er in Havre with fellow students Georges Limbour, Armand Salacrou and Raymond Queneau.
1914 Birth of his sister, Suzanne.
1917 Enrols in evening classes at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.
1918-1919
Gains his Baccalauréat and comes to Paris with Limbour to devote himself to painting. Follows a course at the Académie Julian which he leaves at the end of six months to work independently.
Friends with Suzanne Valadon, Elie Lascaux, Max Jacob and Charles-Albert Cingria. Visits Raoul Dufy in his studio.
1920-1921 Stay in Algers with his parents.
Period of isolation during which he becomes interested in literature, languages and music.
1922 Visits André Masson's studio.
1923
Stay in Lausanne with writer and friend, Paul Budry, returns through Italy.
Military service.
Makes acquaintance with Fernand Léger and meets Juan Gris through the dealer Kahnweiler.
1924 Doubts the values of culture. Stops painting (this will last 8 years).
Leaves for Buenos Aires where he stays for four months.
1925 Return to Le Havre where he takes over the running of his father's business.
1927 He marries. The death of his father.
His daughter, Isalmina, is born two years later.
1930-1932 Opens a wine wholesaler in Bercy (Paris) and lives in Saint- Mandé.
Travels in Holland.
1933-1935 Moves to Paris. Rents a studio in rue du Val-de-Grace to work in the afternoon.
Stay in Switzerland. Separates from his wife.
Puts his business under the control of a board of directors to devote himself to painting.
Meets Emilie Carlu ( Lili, whom he marries in December 1937) and moves to 34 rue Lhomond.
Models masks and marionnettes. Travels in Belgium.
1937-1939 Retuns to Bercy to save the firm from bankruptcy and abandons painting once again.
Enlists. Return to Paris where he resumes his affaires.
1942 Decides to devote himself entirely to painting and from now on will not cease to paint.
1943
METRO series. Interest in jazz. Through Limbour he makes the acquaintance of Jean Paulhan who introduces him to Pierre Seghers, Louis Parrot, Paul Eluard, André Frénaud, Eugène Guillevic, Francis Ponge, Jean Fautrier, René de Solier, Marcel Arland and René Drouin.
Rents a house in rue de Vaugirard where he works every day.
1944 Burning controversy after his first exhibition at the Galerie René Drouin, Paris (where he exposed regularly until 1947).
First lithographs with Fernand Mourlot.
1945 Pierre Matisse, son of the artist and dealer in New York, visits.
Exhibits lithographs in the Galerie André.
Moves with Lili to rue de Vaugirard. Meets Henri Michaux.
Travels in Switzerland where he undertakes research into the production of art brut.
1946
Second exhibition in the Galerie René Drouin : MIROBOLUS, MACADAM ET CIE, HAUTES PATES.
Publishes PROSPECTUS AUX AMATEURS DE TOUT GENRE
(Gallimard).
1947- 1948 First exhibition in New York at the Pierre Matisse Gallery (where he exibits regularly until 1959).
First stay in the Sahara desert, in El Goléa.
PORTRAITS exhibition at the Galerie René Drouin.
Creation of the Foyer de l'Art Brut in the basement of the Galerie Drouin, where many exhibitions were held, before its move to Gallimard and then to the USA in 1951.
Publication of his first text in jargon LER DLA CANPANE.
Second stay in the Sahara until April 1948.
1949 Third stay in the Sahara.
On his return PAYSAGES GROTESQUES series.
Publishes L'ART BRUT PREFERE AUX ARTS CULTURELS.
1950 Meets Alfonso Ossorio. CORPS DE DAMES series.
Publication of ANVOUAIAJE PAR IN NINBESIL AVEC DE ZIMAJE and LABONFAM ABEBER PAR INBO NOM.
1951
First retrospective in Paris at the Galerie Rive Gauche. SOLS ET TERRAINS, TABLES PAYSAGEES, PAYSAGES DU MENTAL series.
In November he leaves for New York with Lili where he stays for six months. Friendship with Yves Tanguy.
Exhibition at the Arts Club, Chicago, where he delivers his discourse, ANTICULTURAL POSITIONS, in english.
1952-1953 Return to Paris. Continuation of SOLS ET TERRAINS and LIEUX MOMENTANES.
Draws the TERRES RADIEUSES. PATES BATTUES series. Stay in Chaillol with Pierre Bettencourt PETITS TABLEAUX D'AILES DE PAPILLONS, ASSEMBLAGES D'EMPREINTES.
Works on lithography with Mourlot. René Drouin and Pierre Matisse edit the book by Georges Limbour L'ART BRUT DE JEAN DUBUFFET - TABLEAU BON LEVAIN A VOUS DE CUIRE LA PATE.
1954 Retrospective organised by René Drouin in the Cercle Volney, Paris.
Completes the PETITES STATUES DE LA VIE PRECAIRE.
Travels between Paris and Auvergne where Lili stays for health reasons. VACHES series.
1955 Moves to Vence where he builds large studios and a villa. ASSEMBLAGES D'EMPREINTES and TABLEAUX D'ASSEMBLAGE series.
First exhibition in London (Institute of Contemporary Arts).
1956-1957 LIEUX CURSIFS series. Lives alternatively in Vence and Paris. TOPOGRAPHIES and TEXTUROLOGIES.
First retrospective in Germany (Leverkusen).
1958 Equips studio for lithography in the rue de Rennes, Paris. Continuation of TEXTUROLOGIES.
First English retrospective (Arthur Tooth Gallery, London) and first personal exhibition in the Galerie Daniel Cordier (where he exhibits regulary until 1964).
1959-1960

BARBES, ELEMENTS BOTANIQUES and MATERIOLOGIES series.
Continuation of the series of lithographs PHENOMENES.
Begins a series of ink drawings.
Publication of LA FLEUR DE BARBE, an illustrated poem.
Establishement of archives and organisation of the Secrétariat in Paris.
Important exhibition in the Pierre Matisse Gallery and
retrospective (1942-1960) in the Musée Des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

1961 Musical experimentation with Asger Jorn, and then independently. Recordings. PARIS CIRCUS period.
Donation by the artist and exhibition of his graphic work in Denmark (Silkeborg Museum), with a catalogue raisonné.
1962-1963 First retrospective in New York at the Museum of Modern Art which travels to Chicago and Los Angeles.
The Collection of Art Brut returns from New York and is installed in 137 rue de Sèvres, Paris.
Stay in Le Touquet in his new house.
Begins the cycle L'HOURLOUPE.
Edits a variety of texts relating to Art Brut.
1964
L'HOURLOUPE exposed in Venice at the Palazzo Grassi.
Secrétariat set up in the rue de Verneuil.
Publication of the first part of the CATALOGUE INTEGRAL DES TRAVAUX DE JEAN DUBUFFET.
First exhibition in the Galerie Jeanne-Bucher, Paris, (where he exposes regularly until 1971 and again from
1982).
1965 First exhibition in the Galerie Beyeler, Basel, (where he exposes regularly until 1976).
1966 Begins a long and important series of sculptures in polystyrene and vinyl paint.
Retrospectives in America (Dallas and Minneapolis), London (Tate Gallery) and Amsterdam (Stedelijk Museum). Exposes L'HOURLOUPE in the Guggenheim Museum, New York.
1967 Paints in Vence and Paris, continues work on painted sculptures, and the perfection of transfer from polyester.
Undertakes the construction of CABINET LOGOLOGIQUE which will be exhibited in Chicago, Basel and Paris before being permanently installed in theVilla Falbala (1975). Cohesion of architectural models.
Important donation to the Musée Des Arts Decoratifs (180 works). Publication of tomes 1 and 2 of his collection of writings, PROSPECTUS ET TOUS ECRITS SUIVANTS by Gallimard.
1968 Establishs a new studio in rue Labrouste. Begins AMONCELLEMENTS in polystyrene.
Publication of ASPHYXIANTE CULTURE (J.-J. Pauvert). Special issue of ARC devoted to Dubuffet;
" Dubuffet, Culture and Subversions. " Itinerant exhibition in America of the artist's work belonging to the Museum of Modern Art, New York. EDIFICES exhibition (Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris). First exhibition in the Pace Gallery, New York (where he exposes regularly until his death)
.
1969
David Rockefeller orders a monument for the Chase Manhattan Bank. Similar orders are anticipated from other countries.
Consruction of new studios in Périgny-sur-Yerres, near Paris, and plans to build theVilla Falbala. First Canadien retospective (Musée Des Beaux-Arts, Montréal). MATERIOLOGIES exhibition in the Galerie Daniel Gervis, Paris.
1970
Activity begins in the Périgny studios alongside the work on the Closerie Falbala. Construction of the Jardin d'hiver after a model from August 1968. The Groupe des quatre arbres for New York is started. Its construction quickly merits the studio's expansion and an increase in staff. Important exhibitions in Basel, Switzerland (Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle).
1971 Series of drawing for the construction of the painted cut-outs and mobiles, the Praticables, followed by Costumes for the theatre which require the creation of a large studio in the Cartoucherie de Vincennes for the COUCOU BAZAR rehearsals.
1972 In Vence, he sells his house and then his studios two years later. In Paris, the studios in rue Labrouste are moved to rue Rosenwald. Unveiling of the Groupe de quatre arbres erected in the Chase Manhattan Plaza, New York, followed by an exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art. First exhibition in the Waddington Gallery, London. Exhibition in the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
1973
First performances of COUCOU BAZAR accompany the rerospective organised in New York (Guggenheim Museum). Repeated in Paris (Grand Palais) with a second version of the production. Painted cut-outs made for Régie Renault.
Publication of L'HOMME DU COMMUN A L'OUVRAGE (Gallimard), LA BOTTE A NIQUE (Skira) and a special issue of Cahier de l'Herne devoted to the artist.
1974

The cycle L'HOURLOUPE finishes with PAYSAGES CASTILLANS, SITES TRICOLORES. Long series of drawing followed by PARACHIFFRES.
Work on the model of the Salon d'été ordered by Renault, and construction begins at the end of the year. Unveiling of the Jardin d'émail in the Kröller-Müller museum, Otterlo (the Netherlands). The Dubuffet Foundation is created in November.
1975-1976
MONDANITES, EFFIGIES INCERTAINES and LIEUX ABREGES, series, followed by large assemblages for the THEATRES DE MEMOIRE. The Closerie Falbala at Périgny is finished. Renault stops the construction of the Salon d'été. Legal proceedings. Transfer of collections de l'Art brut to Lausanne. First Spanish retrospective (Fundacion Juan March,
Madrid).
1977-1978
Proceeds with THEATRES DE MEMOIRE.
Television programme L'Homme en question. Long series of drawings alongside the THEATRES DE MEMOIRE series. FIAT organise an exhibition of his painting using light projections augmented by a third version of COUCOU BAZAR.
Retrospective in Le Havre (Musée des Beaux Arts et Bibliothèque Municipale). First large exhibition in Japan (Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo). Exhibition of early paintings in the Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York.
1979 Contintues to draw a great deal, then BREFS EXERCISES D'ECOLE JOURNALIERE.
Leaves the studio in Vincennes.
1980 The Supreme Court of Appeal annul the judgement given in June 1978. The legal proceedings against Régie Renault is put before the Court of Appeal of Versailles. After four months of interuption, resumption of work with a new series of drawings before the PARTITIONS series.
Retrospective in Berlin (Akademie der Kunst) which is repeated in Vienna (Moderner Kunste Museum) and the following year in Cologne (Joseph Haubrich Kunsthalle).
1981 PSYCHO-SITES series.
Jean Dubuffet wins his case against Régie Renault by judgement of the Court of Appeal of Versailles. To celebrate his 80th birthday exhibitions are held in New York (Guggenheim Museum) and in Paris (MNAM- Centre Georges Pompidou).
1982
SITES ALEATOIRES series and a long series of drawings for BONPIET BEAU NEUILLE. Renewed interest in lithography (Atelier Bordas). Retrospective in Tokyo (Seibu Museum of Art) which is repeated in Osaka (Naitonal Museum of Art). Unveiling of Manoir d'Essor in Humlebaek, Denmark (Louisiana Museum).
1983 Works on MIRES and drawings.
The Court of Appeal of Paris confirm the judgement given by Versailles but Dubuffet decides not to continue the construction of the monument.
The French state have the intention to erect a sculpture in Paris, Jean Dubuffet proposes La Tour aux figures (height 24 metres). Publishes BONPIET BEAU NEUILLE (ed. Jeanne-Bucher) and CONJECTURES.
Retrospective of drawings in Tübingen (Kunsthalle), which moves to Hanover (Kunstmuseum) and Munich (Staatliche Graphischen Sammlung) Monument au fantôme unveiled in Houston.
1984
Continues to draw before the ultimate series NON-LIEUX which he is occupied with until December.
The French Pavillion at the Venetian Biennial is dedicated to him
Monument à la bête debout is unveiled in Chicago.
First large exhibition organised by the Dubuffet Foundation in Malmö Konsthall, Sweden.
1985 The site for the Tour au figures is chosen on the Ile Saint-Germain in Issy-les-Moulineaux.
During the winter he draws and writes BIOGRAPHIE AU PAS DE COURSE with haste.
Jean Dubuffet dies in Paris on the 12 May.