# Esther Pearl Watson URL: https://vielmetter.com/artists/esther-pearl-watson/ Represented by Vielmetter Los Angeles Esther Pearl Watson’s practice spans painting, collage, drawing, comics, and zines while narrating the melodrama of her distinct American life. Her semi-autobiographical works explore the complexities of growing up economically precarious in rural Texas. Her compositions, speckled with bright, glittering objects, often UFOs, might appear playful but reveal the bleak aspects of her family’s efforts to pursue the American dream. One body of work, her memory paintings, include highly detailed and diaristic vignettes from her childhood that often reference having a father who built space-ships in their backyard. Both humorous and melancholic, Watson’s works cite the history of folk art and draw out a specific pathos inherent in what has traditionally been viewed as an outsider aesthetic. Esther Pearl Watson was born in 1973 and lives and works in Joshua Tree, CA. She holds an MFA from CalArts. Her works have been exhibited at Maureen Paley Gallery in London, Galerie Judin in Berlin, Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York City, Museum Krona in Uden, Netherlands, Antonio Columbo Gallery in Milan, Sun Valley Museum of Art in Ketchum, Idaho, Webb Gallery in Waxahachie, Texas, Richmond Center for Visual Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, among others. Her work is in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She has published *Blood Lady Commandos*on Vice online and *Welcome to Crapland*on Adult Swim online. She has taught at Oxbow Artist Residency, The Lexicon of Sexicana at Columbia College in Chicago, and Artist-in-Residence at Grafikiens Hus in Mariefred, Sweden and Pasadena Art Center College of Design. ## Exhibitions - [Esther Pearl Watson: Celestial Road Trip](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-2026.md): July 11 — August 21, 2026 · Gallery I · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Perpetual Portrait](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/perpetual-portrait.md): July 8 — August 18, 2023 · Gallery I & II & III & IV · Artists: Laura Aguilar, Sadie Benning, Ellen Berkenblit, Sara Berman, Kwesi Botchway, Andrea Bowers, Kim Dingle, Nicole Eisenman, Esther Pearl Watson, Genevieve Gaignard, Karl Haendel, Lavaughan Jenkins, Raffi Kalenderian, The Estate of Pope.L, Robert Pruitt, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Amy Sillman, John Sonsini, Nicola Tyson, Hannah van Bart, Monique van Genderen - [Esther Pearl Watson: A Very Luminous Vision](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-a-very-luminous-vision.md): March 11 — April 29, 2023 · Gallery III · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Plants Now!](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/plants-now.md): July 16 — August 26, 2022 · Gallery II & Greenhouse · Artists: Edgar Arceneaux, Math Bass, Whitney Bedford, Sadie Benning, Ellen Berkenblit, Andrea Bowers, Kim Dingle, Genevieve Gaignard, Nash Glynn, Raffi Kalenderian, Hugo McCloud, Rodney McMillian, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Nicola Tyson, Tâm Văn Trần, Ariane Vielmetter, Shanna Waddell, Esther Pearl Watson, Mark Todd, Patrick Wilson, Bari Ziperstein - [Esther Pearl Watson Safer at Home: Pandemic Paintings](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-safer-at-home-pandemic-paintings.md): September 23 — November 14, 2021 · Richmond Center for Visual Arts · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Esther Pearl Watson](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-greenhouse2021.md): May 5 — June 11, 2021 · Greenhouse · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Esther Pearl Watson: Safer at Home, Pandemic Paintings](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-safe-at-home.md): November 21, 2020 — February 6, 2021 · Gallery II · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [20 Years Anniversary Exhibition Part 1](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/20-year-anniversary-exhibition.md): July 18 — August 29, 2020 · Gallery I · Artists: Edgar Arceneaux, Math Bass, Whitney Bedford, Andrea Bowers, Kim Dingle, Sean Duffy, Nicole Eisenman, Genevieve Gaignard, Liz Glynn, Karl Haendel, Raffi Kalenderian, Ruben Ochoa, Stanya Kahn, Hayv Kahraman, Mary Kelly, Shana Lutker, Dave McKenzie, Rodney McMillian, Wangechi Mutu, Esther Pearl Watson, The Estate of Pope.L, Deborah Roberts, The Estate of Steve Roden, Stefanie Schneider, Amy Sillman, Arlene Shechet, John Sonsini, Monique van Genderen, Tâm Văn Trần, Patrick Wilson - [Esther Pearl Watson: Words of Encouragement](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-2020.md): June 13 — July 4, 2020 · Online Only · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Esther Pearl Watson: Tire Universe](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/2018-06-esther-pearl-watson-tire-universe.md): June 7 — July 12, 2018 · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson - [Summer Viewing Rooms](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/2013-07-group-exhibition-summer-viewing-rooms.md): July 13 — August 24, 2013 · Artists: Esther Pearl Watson, Sean Duffy ## Biography 1973 Born in Frankfurt, Germany Lives and works in Los Angeles 2012 MFA, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA 1995 BFA, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA **Selected Exhibitions** 2026 Group Show, ASTROPOLIS, Ostend, Belgium (forthcoming) "40th Anniversary Group Show," La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (forthcoming) "Celestial Road Trip," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2025 "Bombois by Anholt," Galerie Judin, Berlin, Germany 2024 "Generating Auras," Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY "Reading Room: Zines, Comix, and Other Radical Texts," The Wignall Museum, Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 2023 "At Heaven's Edge: Visions" Museum Krona, Uden, Netherlands "Starship Pegasus," Antonio Colombo Gallery, Milan, Italy "Sightings," Sun Valley Museum of Art, Ketchum, ID "Space Gas," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX "Rituals of Devotion," McEvoy Family Collection, San Francisco, CA "Perpetual Portrait," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA "A Very Luminous Vision," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2022 "Guardian of Eden," Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY "Plants Now!" Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA "An Apparent Brightness," Maureen Paley: Morena di Luna, Hove, UK 2021 "Esther Pearl Watson," The Richmond Center for Visual Arts, Kalamazoo, MI "Esther Pearl Watson," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles. CA ([Link](https://vielmetter.com/exhibitions/esther-pearl-watson-greenhouse2021)) "Dust it Off," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX 2020 "Safer at Home: Pandemic Paintings," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA "20 Years," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 2019-2020 "Dream Believer," University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Parkside, WI 2019 "Rural Elements," Contemporary Art Museum of Plainview, Plainview, TX "Esther Pearl Watson," Maureen Paley, London, UK "April 14, 1561," Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY "The Moon: Eternal Pearl," Concord Center for the Visual Arts, Concord, MA 2018 "Tire Universe," Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Culver City, CA W+K Gallery, Portland, OR 2017 “Starship Pegasus,” Antonio Columbo Arte Contemporanea, Milan, Italy Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX (solo) "Now More Than Ever," LACE Benefit Art Auction, Los Angeles, CA "For the Good Times," Sp(a)ce, Pasadena, CA 2016 "The 11th Annual Blab Show," Curated by Monte Beauchamp, Copro Gallery, Los Angeles, CA "The Furies," Visitor Welcome Center, Los Angeles, CA "Cocoon," Arts Factory, Paris, France "Galactic Plains," Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (solo) "Hearsay," Artists Reveal Urban Legends, LosJoCos Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2015 "Atrium," Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX "New Works," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX The Future Arrives, Galleri Galleberg, Norway, (solo) Two-Person Exhibition, Family Lexicon, Antonio Colombo Gallery, Milan, Italy (with artist Fred Stonehouse) (catalogue) 2014 "Sky," Bedford Gallery, Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA, (curated by DeWitt Cheng and Elizabeth Ferrer) "Amazon Solitaire," Center for the Arts Eagle Rock, Eagle Rock, CA "Explorers," CSC Gallery, McLennan Community College, Waco, TX "Hexenhaus," 495 Alameda St, Altadena, CA "With Open Eyes," Grafikens Hus, Mariefried, Sweden (with artist Mark Todd) "It’s Not a Circus Without a Big Top," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX 2013 Summer Viewing Rooms, Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects, Los Angeles, CA 2012 "Hidden Behind the Stars," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX, (solo) Permanent Collection, Nancy Margolis Gallery, NY Cal/Arts MFA Graduate Exhibition, LA Mart, Los Angeles, CA (curated by Catherine Taft) Fort Beavatron, CalArts Mint Gallery, Valencia, CA, (solo) 2011 CalArts Main Gallery, Valencia, CA, (solo) "Incognito," Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA "Land Of Magic," Lesher Center for the Arts, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA "Women in Comics," (Curated) Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX 2010 "New Works," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX, (solo) 2009 "Visions of the Future," Billy Shire Fine Art, Culver City, CA (with artist Owen Smith) "Texas Instruments," Domy, Austin, TX, (solo) "When in Texas act like a Texan," Webb Gallery, Waxahachie, TX 2008 "3rd Annual LA Weekly Biennial," Track 16, Los Angeles, CA (curated by Doug Harvey) "Failure," The Lab at Belmar, Lakewood, CO "Blab Show!," Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University, Kansas City, MO (curated by Monte Beauchamp) "LA Paint," Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA (curated by Phil Linares) 2007 "The Weirding Field," La Luz De Jesus, Los Angeles, CA, (solo) 2006 "What I Remember," Mendenhall Sobieski Gallery, Pasadena, CA (solo) 2005 "Keep On Laughing," Katherine Mulherin Contemporary, Toronto, Canada **Bibliography** 2026 Machine, Joy. "‘The Department of Objects’ Brings the Charm of Sleep-Away Camp to Chicago," Colossal, October 20 ([Link](https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/10/the-department-of-objects-joy-machine/)) Kleon, Austin. "Typewriter interview with Esther Pearl Watson," September 22 ([Link](https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/typewriter-interview-with-esther)) Sloane, Hilary. "Get Lost Art Supply holding opening celebration all day Friday in Twentynine Palms," Z1077fm.com, September 4 ([Link](https://z1077fm.com/get-lost-art-supply-holding-opening-celebration-all-day-friday-in-twentynine-palms/)) Beck, Sarah. "Somewhere Between Recollection and Fantasy: A Conversation with Esther Pearl Watson," Glasstire, August 31 ([Link](https://glasstire.com/2026/08/31/somewhere-between-recollection-and-fantasy-a-conversation-with-esther-pearl-watson/)) Miranda, Carolina A. "Art Gallery Shows to See in August," The New York Times, August 27 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/arts/art-gallery-shows-to-see-in-august.html)) Searcy, David. "Aliens in Mingus," Harper's Magazine, January ([Link](https://harpers.org/archive/2026/01/aliens-in-mingus-david-searcy-story/)) 2024 "Chaffey College exhibit will feature 'Zines, Comix, and Other Radical Texts," Daily Bulletin, August 30 ([Link](https://www.dailybulletin.com/2024/08/30/chaffey-college-exhibit-will-feature-zines-comix-and-other-radical-texts/)) 2023 Williams, Gisela. "An Exhibition of U.F.O. Art Lands in Idaho," New York Times Style Magazine, September 14 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/14/t-magazine/ufo-sightings-art-sun-valley-museum-idaho.html)) 2022 Artnet Gallery Network. "5 Talents From the Artnet Gallery Network We’re Keeping an Eye on as the Fall Season Kicks Off," Artnet, September 14 ([Link](https://news.artnet.com/buyers-guide/5-artists-to-watch-september-artnet-gallery-network-2173868)) 2021 Rylah, Juliet Bennet. "Esther Pearl Watson and Pandemic Paintings," The Pool, May 14 ([Link](https://thepool.calarts.edu/2021/05/14/esther-pearl-watson-and-pandemic-paintings/)) "Friday at Frieze New York," Frieze, May 7 ([Link](https://www.frieze.com/article/friday-frieze-new-york)) McArthur, Roshan. "Pandemic Paintings by Esther Pearl Watson," Boutique Homes, January 22 Zellen, Jody. "Esther Pearl Watson: ‘Safer at Home: Pandemic Paintings’ Documenting the Everyday," ArtNow LA, January Recinos, Eva. "Esther Pearl Watson Channels Strange Pandemic Life in 100 Paintings," Hyperallergic, January 12 2020 Dambrot, Shana Nys "Esther Pearl Watson Paints the Pandemic's Daily Strangeness," LA Weekly, December 10 ([Link](https://www.laweekly.com/esther-pearl-watson-paints-the-pandemics-daily-strangeness/)) Watson, Esther Pearl. "An Artist Captures 4 Months of Sidewalk Chalk Drawings," The New York Times, July 19 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/arts/esther-pearl-watson-diary-project.html)) 2019 Drambot, Shana Nys. "ART PICK: THE POST-IT SHOW," LA Weekly, December 6 ([Link](https://www.laweekly.com/art-pick-the-post-it-show/)) "Esther Pearl Watson, Mothership, 2019," Elephant, September 4 ([Link](https://elephant.art/iotd/esther-pearl-watson-mothership-2019§/)) "Esther Pearl Watson: Mothership," Time Out London, September 18 ([Link](https://www.timeout.com/london/art/esther-pearl-watson-mothership)) Biswas, Allie. "Esther Pearl Watson – interview: ‘I really search out moments of awkward humour’" Studio International, September 16 ([Link](https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/esther-pearl-watson-interview-mothership-maureen-paley-london-i-really-search-out-moments-of-awkward-humour)) Dawson, Aimee and Ellie Lace, Kabir Jhala. "Three exhibitions to see in London this weekend," Art Newspaper, September 6 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/review/three-show-see-6-september)) Brady, Anna and Margaret Carrigan. "Private view: must-see gallery shows opening in September," Art Newspaper, September 4 ([Link](https://www.theartnewspaper.com/preview/private-view-must-see-shows-opening-in-september)) Zara, Janelle. "‘Everything Feels More Intimate’: Felix LA Brings New Life to Art-Fair Circuit," ArtNews, February 15 ([Link](http://www.artnews.com/2019/02/15/everything-feels-intimate-felix-la-brings-new-life-art-fair-circuit/)) Freeman, Nate. "The Future of Art Fairs Is in a Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard," February 15 ([Link](https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-future-art-fairs-hotel-hollywood-boulevard)) Remenchik, Jennifer. "Placing Art in Hotel Rooms Can Yield Genuinely Surprising Results," Hyperallergic, February 16 ([Link](https://hyperallergic.com/485229/felix-art-fair-los-angeles-2019/)) Smith, Roberta. "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week," New York Times, January 8 ([Link](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/arts/design/what-to-see-in-new-york-art-galleries-this-week.html)) Womack, Catherine. "The assignment: Design a poster that dispels America's myths about immigrants," Los Angeles Times, December 24 ([Link](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-artcenter-immigration-myths-posters-20181224-story.html)) 2018 Remenchik, Jennifer, "A Painter Illustrates the Charm and Tragedy of the American Dream," Hyperallergic (web), July 9 2014 Lemke, Meg, "Dear Diary: An Interview with Esther Pearl Watson," The Paris Review (web), June 20 ([Link](https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/06/20/dear-diary-an-interview-with-esther-pearl-watson/)) Simek, Peter, "This Week’s 5 Best Art Gallery Openings and Events," D Magazine (web), May 28 ([Link](https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2014/05/this-weeks-5-best-art-gallery-openings-and-events/)) 2012 Laughlin, Jamie, "Puppets And Spaceships Invade Waxahachie," Dallas Observer (web), November 15 ([Link](http://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/puppets-and-spaceships-invade-waxahachie-6428193)) Morgan, Kendall, "Wacky and whimsical works from Miss Pussycat and Esther Pearl Watson invade Webb Gallery," Culture Map Dalllas (web), November 16 ([Link](http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/arts/arts-wacky-whimsical-works-outsider-artists-miss-pussycat-and-esther-pearl-watson-waxahachie-webb-gallery/#slide=0)) Farr, Kristin, "Esther Pearl Watson," Juxtapoz, February 2011 Hudgens, Christopher, "Episode 323: Esther Pearl Watson," Badatsports (web), November 7 ([Link](http://badatsports.com/2011/episode-323-esther-pearl-watson/)) 2010 Farr, Kristin, "Big Dreams: Esther Pearl Watson at Sandra Lee Gallery," KQED Arts (web), June 11 ([Link](https://www.kqed.org/arts/30167/big_dreams_esther_pearl_watson_at_sandra_lee_gallery)) Enholm, Molly, "Esther Pearl Watson," art ltd. (web), July 10 ([Link](http://artltdmag.com/2010/07/esther-pearl-watson/)) O'Toole, Meighan, "Esther Pearl Watson: Space is the Place," My Love For You (web), February 18 ([Link](http://myloveforyou.typepad.com/my_love_for_you/2010/02/esther-pearl-watson-space-is-the-place.html)) 2009 Weeks, Jerome, "Flying Saucers, Teen Angst and Esther Pearl Watson," Art and Seek (web), August 11 ([Link](http://artandseek.org/2009/08/11/artseek-on-think-tv-flying-saucers-teen-angst-and-esther-pearl-watson/)) Schroeder, Audra, "Building Spaceships in the Yard, Austin Chronicle (web), June 12 ([Link](https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2009-06-12/792517/)) Hamada, Jeff, "Esther Pearl Watson," Booooooom (web), February 27 ([Link](https://www.booooooom.com/2009/02/27/esther-pearl-watson/)) 2007 Gray, Emma, "L.A Confidential," Artnet (web), January ([Link](http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/gray/gray1-25-08.asp)) **Curatorial Projects** 2019 "Post-It Show," Giant Robot/GR2 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA **Public Collections** Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ