b. 1957 · Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Ouattara
Watts
Painting · Mixed Media
Ouattara Watts (b. 1957) is an Ivorian-American artist whose visionary paintings synthesize African spiritual traditions, Western abstraction, and a deeply personal cosmology. Born in Abidjan and now based between New York and Burkina Faso, Watts creates canvases of extraordinary complexity — layered with symbols, pigments, and materials drawn from across cultures and continents.
Championed early in his career by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Watts has exhibited at the Venice Biennale, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and major galleries worldwide. His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Guggenheim, and the Centre Pompidou.
Works in Institutional Collections
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Centre Pompidou, Paris
