Ouattara Watts
1957
Introduction
Ouattara Watts (born May 27, 1957) is an Ivory Coast-born American visual artist, known for his multimedia paintings that incorporate African and Western aesthetics and depict themes of spirituality and modernity. His work has been exhibited in reputable collections internationally, and he is classified by Christie's as a "Top Artist."
Watts studied at l'École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France.
In Paris, he met Jean-Michel Basquiat at an exhibition opening in January 1988. Basquiat was impressed by Watts's paintings and convinced him to move to New York City. They had a very short but important collaboration. In the documentary Basquiat, Une Vie, Watts was filmed in his studio, working and talking about Basquiat.
Watts has spent much of his career in New York.
Wikidata identifier
Q7110223
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed January 2, 2026.
Country of birth
Côte d'Ivoire
Roles
Artist, collagist, mixed-media artist, painter, photographer, sculptor
ULAN identifier
500199294
Names
Ouattara Watts, Ouatarra Watts, Ouattara, Bakari Ouattara, Bakari Dit Watts Ouattara, Watts Ouattara, Bakari Outtara
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed January 2, 2026.
