Upon encountering the work of Jean Dubuffet in Paris in 1969, Lommel decided to dedicate her life to art brut.
In 1982, Lommel along with two other artists Claire Teller and Michel Nedjar decided to bring together their major works in an exhibition titled “Les Jardins Barbares” (The Barbarian Gardens) which was housed in Château Guérin in Neuilley sur Marne.
In 1996, upon loss of its government funding, Lommel, as President of the association, initiated the donation of the entirety of the museum's collection to the Community of Lille Métropole.
Other notable artists included in the Aracine collection include: André Robillard, Aloïse Corbaz, Henry Drager, Magde Gill, Augustin Lesage, Adolf Wölfli, Carlo Zinelli, Fleury Joseph Crepin, Judith Scott, Emile Ratier, Théo Wiesen, Jean Smilowski, Michel Nedjar.
The exhibition included an international survey of over 300 works by 93 under-recognized female self-taught artists[4] and was curated by Kunstforum Wien's director, Ingried Brugger, and Hannah Rieger.