Ouattara Watts
Encyclopedia
Ouattara Watts is an Ivorian
painter.
He was born in 1957, in Abidjan
, Ivory Coast.
He studied in l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
, Paris, France.
In Paris, he met Jean-Michel Basquiat
at an exhibition opening in January 1988. Basquiat was very impressed by Ouattara Watts's paintings and convinced him to move to New York. They had a very short but important collaboration.
In the documentary called "Basquiat, Une Vie", we see Outtara in his studio, working, and talking about Basquiat.
Watts is an internationally recognized neo-expressionist painter. Watts is a jazz enthusiast, who merged music and art in paintings and collages by using recycled everyday materials.
Ouattara Watts lives and works in New York, USA.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
painter.
He was born in 1957, in Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
, Ivory Coast.
He studied in l’École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
, Paris, France.
In Paris, he met Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
at an exhibition opening in January 1988. Basquiat was very impressed by Ouattara Watts's paintings and convinced him to move to New York. They had a very short but important collaboration.
In the documentary called "Basquiat, Une Vie", we see Outtara in his studio, working, and talking about Basquiat.
Watts is an internationally recognized neo-expressionist painter. Watts is a jazz enthusiast, who merged music and art in paintings and collages by using recycled everyday materials.
Ouattara Watts lives and works in New York, USA.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
- 2010 Hess Art Collection http://www.hesscollection.com/art/index.html, International Contemporary Art at Glen Carlou, Paarl, South Africa
- 2009 Hess Art Collection, International Contemporary Art at Glen Carlou, Paarl South Africa
- 2008 " OUATTARA: Spirit King" Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York, USA
- 2008 Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy
- 2008 Galeria Leyendecker, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
- 2008 " Andy Goldsworthy and Ouattara Watts" Two person exhibition, eleven paintings and watercolors from 1992-2006 by Ouattara at International Contemporary Art at Glen Carlou, Paarl, South Africa http://www.artthrob.co.za/08aug/listings_cape.html#gc
- 2007 " Ouattara Watts: For Lily" Mike Weiss Gallery, New York, USA http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/features/finch/finch11-28-07.asp
- 2006 " Ouattara Watts: Works on Paper" Mike Weiss Gallery, New York, USA
- 2004 Tracy Williams Gallery, New York, USA
- 2004 " NH Crossing Currents - The Synergy of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts" The Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover
- 2004 Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy http://www.magazzinoartemoderna.com/GALLERIA/mostra.php?id_mostra=21
- 2004 Marella Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy
- 2002 Leo Koenig, New York, USA
- 2001 Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy
- 1999 "Ouattara: in Roma" Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy
- 1998 "Ouattara New Work" Baldwin GalleryBaldwin GalleryThe Baldwin Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Aspen, Colorado established by Richard Edwards in 1994. The gallery features a variety of mainly American but also international contemporary artists and works including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, video and installation-based...
, Aspen, Colorado, USA - 1996 "Ouattara Dark Star" Kemper Museum of Contemporary ArtKemper Museum of Contemporary ArtThe Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. The core of the museum's permanent collection is the Bebe and R. Crosby Kemper Jr. Collection, a gift of the museum's founders. The collection includes works created after the 1913 Armory Show to works by present-day...
, Kansas City, Missouri, USA - 1995 "Ouattara: New Paintings" Gagosian Gallery, New York, USA
- 1994 "Ouattara" Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, California, USA
- 1993 Galerie Boulakia, Paris, France
- 1992 Vrej Baghoomian Gallery, New York, USA
- 1990 Akira Ikeda Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
- 1989 Marilyn Butler Gallery, Los Angeles, California, USA
- 1986 "OUATTARA" Centre Culturel de la Rochelle, La Rochelle, France
Selected Group Exhibitions
- "2010 'In Dialogue' Four Generations of Painting" Curated by Peter Makebish, Charest-Weinberg, Miami, Florida, USA. Artists: Donald Baechler, Ross Bleckner, Kadar Brock, Brendan Cass, Sante D’Orazio, Matt Jones, John Newsom, Hermann Nitsch, Bill Saylor, Kenny Scharf, Ouattara Watts, Dustin Yellin http://charestweinberg.com/news/in-dialogue-curated-by-peter-makebish/
- 2009 "Armory Show NYC" Magazzino d’Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy http://www.magazzinoartemoderna.com/GALLERIA/index.php
- 2006 " Intersections: Shifting Identity in Contemporary Art " John Michael Kohler Arts CenterJohn Michael Kohler Arts CenterThe John Michael Kohler Arts Center is a not-for-profit art museum located in downtown Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The original house at the facility is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the John Michael Kohler House...
, Sheboygan, WisconsinSheboygan, Wisconsin-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
, USA - 2006 " Realm of the Spirit. National Museum of African Art" Mike Weiss Gallery, [New York], USA
- 2006 " Body of Evidence " Smithsonian Institute, Washington, USA
- 2003 " Black President - The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti" New Museum of Contemporary ArtNew Museum of Contemporary ArtThe New Museum, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is the only museum in New York City exclusively devoted to presenting contemporary art from around the world...
, New York City, USA - 2002 DocumentaDocumentadocumenta is an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau which took place in Kassel at that time...
11, KasselKasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, Germany http://www.documenta12.de/archiv/d11/data/english/index.html - 2002 Whitney Museum Biennale, New York, USA
- 2002 " The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa 1945-1994. " P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York, USA
- 2000 "Transatlantic Dialog - In And Out of Africa - " National Museum of African ArtNational Museum of African ArtThe National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
, Washington, USA - 1997 Chiba Museum of Art, Chiba, Japan http://www.ccma-net.jp/
- 1994 "Un Altre Pais" Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno, Las Palmas Fundacion, Spain http://www.caam.net/
- 1994 La CaixaLa CaixaLa Caixa , formally Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions de Barcelona , is currently Europe’s leading savings bank and Spain's third largest financial institution, with a network of over 5,500 branches, more than 8,100 ATMs, a workforce in excess of 27,000 and more than 10.7 million...
, Palma de Mallorca, La Virreina Expositions, Barcelona, Spain http://www.bcn.cat/virreinacentredelaimatge/catala/home.htm - 1993 Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
, Italy - 1991 " Syncretism: The Art of the 20th Century" The Alternative MuseumThe Alternative MuseumThe Alternative Museum was founded in 1975 by artists for artists and the broader New York City community in the United States. Its primary purpose was to present works of art created by artists of conscience through exhibitions of contemporary art, world music concerts, performances and panel...
, New York, USA - 1991 " African Explores: New and Renewed Forms in the 20th Century Art " The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY. Traveled exhibition: Berkeley Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Mint Museum of Art, The Carnegie Museum of Art, The Corcoran Museum of Art, The Center of Fine Arts, Ludwig Forum für Internationale KunstLudwig Forum für Internationale KunstThe Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst is a museum of modern art in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in a former industrial building that was once an umbrella factory , designed in Bauhaus style and built in 1928.The museum contains exemplary major works of American pop art...
, Aachen; Antoni Tapies Fondacion http://www.fundaciotapies.org/site/spip.php?rubrique65, Espace Lyonnais d’Art Contemporain, Tate GalleryTate GalleryThe Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British Art, and International Modern and Contemporary Art... - 1990 " Images of Death in Contemporary Art" Patrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of ArtPatrick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of ArtThe Partick and Beatrice Haggerty Museum of Art, sometimes referred to simply as "the Haggerty", is located at 13th and Clybourn Streets on the campus of Marquette University in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States...
, Milwaukee, USA - 1985 Musée National des Arts Africans et Océaniens, Paris, France
Books and Catalogs
- 2007 Mike Weiss Gallery, USA, catalog
- 2004 Hood Museum of ArtHood Museum of ArtThe Hood Museum of Art is a museum in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. Dating back to 1772, the museum is owned and operated by Dartmouth College and is connected to the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The current building, designed by Charles Willard Moore and Chad Flloyd, opened in the fall of 1985. It...
Crossing Currents - The Synergy of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ouattara Watts, catalog - 2003 New Museum. Black President: Fela Anikulapokuti, catalog http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/375
- 2002 Cantz, Hatje. Documenta II Platform 5, catalog
- 2002 Biennial Exhibition Whitney Museum, New York, Prentice Hall/Abrams, catalog
- 1999 Magazzino D’Arte Moderna "Ouattara Watts in Roma", catalog
- 1995 Janson, H. W. History of Art. 5th ed. New York: Prentice Hall/Abrams, catalog
- 1990 Barrière, Gérard. Ouattara. Galerie Boulakia, Paris, catalog
- 1989 Warren, Ben Michael and Vrej Baghoomian, eds. Ouattara, Art Random, Kyoto: Kyoto Shoin, International Co., Ltd., 1989. Introduction by Ben Michael Warren, catalog
- 2010 "Hess Art Collection" by Donald Hess and Myrtha Steiner. Hardcover: 372 pages, Publisher: Hatje Cantz (January 31, 2010), Language: English, ISBN 3775721398, ISBN 978-3775721394, Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 10 x 1.3 inches
Some Articles and Reviews
- 2004 An article on Watts by Massimo Carboni published in Art Forum May.2004 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_9_42/ai_n6080213/
- 2004 " Watts, l’ossessione magica dei numeri: L’artista ivoriano al Magazzino d’arte moderna" Pancotto, Pier Paolo, L’ Unita Roma, 04.February.2004 ( in Italian ) http://archivio2.unita.it/v2/carta/showoldpdf.asp?anno=2004&mese=02&file=04RIVa
- 2002 Robinson, Walter. ArtNet.com Magazine Reviews, May 9 http://www.artnet.com/magazine/reviews/robinson/robinson5-8-02.asp
- 2002 Cotter, Holland. The New York Times, March 8 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/08/arts/art-review-spiritual-america-from-ecstatic-to-transcendent.html?scp=3&sq=ouattara%20watts&st=cse
- 2001 Cotter, Holland. The New York Times, July 27 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E4DA153DF934A15754C0A9679C8B63&scp=2&sq=ouattara%20watts&st=cse
- 1995 Cotter, Holland. Mix of Culture, Politics and Bravado, The New York Times, May 19 http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEEDF113FF93AA25756C0A963958260
- "La pittura magica di Ouattara Watts" dated 01.31.2004 in Corriere della Sera (in Italian)http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2004/gennaio/31/pittura_magica_Ouattara_Watts_co_10_040131057.shtml
- "'Body' & Soul: Fleshing Out African Art" a review on Washington Post dated June 18, 2006 by Lynne Duke http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/16/AR2006061600316.html
External links
- French Documentary “Basquiat Une Vie”, can be seen streaming online http://documentaires.france5.fr/documentaires/basquiat-une-vie