Matt Sesow Biography

The Story

On a summer evening in rural Nebraska in 1975, an eight-year-old boy walked into the propeller of a landing airplane. He lost his left hand and most of his left arm. Twenty years later he picked up a paintbrush, and he has not put it down since.

Matt Sesow was born in 1966 and raised in Nebraska. His family refused to let the accident define him, pushing him into sports and academics; he went on to a university degree in Computer Information Systems and a career as a software tester at IBM, and later AOL and Netscape.

He had no art education of any kind. Painting began in the evenings and at weekends in 1994, at the age of 28, after he moved to Washington, DC — an attempt to work through something he had never been able to say out loud. Collectors of self-taught and outsider art began buying his work in 1995. In 1996 he sold fourteen paintings in a single afternoon on the streets of Georgetown.

Before the paintings, there were films. Sesow made short films in the early 1990s — "Seize the Day" (1993) was shown at the WPA group exhibition and selected by the DC Psychtronic Film Society, and "The Box" won a Best Experimental Film award. In 1996 he lectured at Georgetown University on painting and film. The camera gave way to the brush, but the restlessness stayed.

After returning from a Peace Corps posting in the Solomon Islands in 1999, Sesow began planning a way out of software. In 2001 he left his computer career for good, and in the same year the Corcoran Museum in Washington gave him his first solo museum show — forty-five works, titled "Life's Little Traumas."

In the twenty-five years since, his paintings have entered six museum collections, travelled to the Solomon Islands, China, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Spain, France, Slovenia, Jordan, Australia, Canada, Italy, Russia and Portugal, and been released internationally on a United Nations postage stamp. In 2021 his survey exhibition "Life and Limb" was hung alongside work by Jean-Michel Basquiat.

He still lives and paints in Washington, DC, sharing an 800 square foot studio at Mather Studios with his wife, the painter Dana Ellyn, five blocks from the White House. He sells directly to collectors — no gallery, no agent, no middleman — and answers his own email.

In Museum Collections

Sesow's paintings are held permanently by museums and institutions in the United States and Europe.

Museum Exhibitions

• 2018–19 — MISP Museum of St. Petersburg Art, Russia — "Radical Fluidity: Grotesque in Art"
• 2016–17 — American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore — "Shock and Awe," year-long solo
• 2015 — Peoria Riverfront Museum, Illinois — "Witness to the Vision: The Jacquin Collection of Outsider Art"
• 2014 — Museo e Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna, Italy (with catalogue)
• 2011 — Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk VA — "Into the Mainstream: Self-Taught Artists from the Garbisch and Gordon Collections"
• 2008 — "Uncommon Power," Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA
• 2008 — "Collective Wisdom: Selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection," ODU
• 2006 — Hurn Museum, Savannah GA — "The Faces of Folk"
• 2004–05 — American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD — "Holy H2O: Fluid Universe" (Oct–Sept). Two paintings, including "Out of Water," among 150+ works by 40 artists. A Washington Post Critic's Pick, and the first of Sesow's exhibitions at AVAM. Reuters coverage →
• 2001 — Corcoran Museum, Washington DC — "Life's Little Traumas," solo (45 works)

National Museum Tour, 2002–2005

Two paintings — "Hell Bound" and "Bunny Collector" — travelled the United States for three years in "Revelations and Reflections of American Self-Taught Artists," an ExhibitsUSA touring museum exhibition. Eleven venues in eleven states. See the paintings and press →

• 2002 — The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock AR (Sept–Oct)
• 2002–03 — Stedman Art Gallery, Rutgers, Camden NJ (Nov–Jan)
• 2003 — Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth OH (Jan–Mar)
• 2003 — Mandeville Gallery, Nott Memorial, Union College, Schenectady NY (Jun–Aug)
• 2003 — UNLV Barrick Museum, Las Vegas NV (Sept–Oct)
• 2004 — Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls MT (Feb–Mar)
• 2004 — Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury VT (Apr–Aug)
• 2004 — Hearst Art Gallery, Saint Mary's College, Moraga CA (Sept–Oct)
• 2004–05 — Loveland Museum and Gallery, Loveland CO (Nov–Jan)
• 2005 — Museum of the Southwest, Midland TX (Apr–May)
• 2005 — Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont TX (Jun–Aug)

Selected Solo Exhibitions

United States

• 2021 — "Life and Limb," Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA
• 2019 — "Collaborators: Dana Ellyn & Matt Sesow," Hill Center Galleries, Washington DC
• 2017 — "Deja Vu," Hill Center Galleries, Washington DC
• 2017 — Silo118 Gallery, Santa Barbara CA
• 2017 — "Hair of the Dog," Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery, Sanford FL
• 2016–17 — "Shock and Awe," American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD
• 2016 — "Divide and Conquer / Rise Above," VSA Colorado Access Gallery, Denver CO
• 2015 — AMP: Art Market Provincetown, MA
• 2014 — "Access Denied," VSA Colorado Access Gallery, Denver CO
• 2014 — AMP Gallery, Provincetown MA
• 2013 — "Beautiful People," Waverley Street Gallery, Bethesda MD
• 2012 — "Trickle Down," Access Gallery, Denver CO (85 paintings)
• 2012 — "From the Gut," Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery, Sanford FL
• 2012 — "Birdhouses," BVP Gallery, Dupont Circle, Washington DC
• 2011 — "A Brut Rebellion," FOE Gallery, Northampton MA
• 2011 — JP Art Market, Boston MA (first Boston solo)
• 2010 — "Pet Project," VSA Access Gallery, Denver CO (nominated Best Show, Denver Art District)
• 2010 — "Super Men and Scoundrels," Gallery at Black Rock, Bridgeport CT
• 2009 — Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk VA (3 October – 7 November)
• 2009 — "Bukowski," Los Angeles CA
• 2007 — "Salvaged," D Gallery, San Diego CA
• 2007 — "Appearances," Rougette Gallery, Rockland ME
• 2007 — Pamela Skinner / Gwenna Howard Contemporary Art, Sacramento CA
• 2007 — "Animal Farm," VSA Colorado, Denver CO
• 2006 — "Don Giovanni," Rebus Works, Raleigh NC (painted live on stage during the opera)
• 2005 — "Carrots and Sticks," Rebus Works, Raleigh NC
• 2005 — "Looking Back, Sprint Forward," Gallery Co., Minneapolis MN
• 2005 — "Eye of the Storm," Studio One Eight, Washington DC
• 2005 — Ramscale Gallery, West Village, New York NY
• 2005 — Guillotine Gallery, Atlanta GA
• 2005 — Hunter Hogan Gallery, Virginia Beach VA
• 2004 — Nature Visionary Art Gallery, Charlottesville VA
• 2004 — Big Cat Gallery, East Village, New York NY (first New York solo — curated by David Hurd, staged four blocks from the Outsider Art Fair) press release →
• 2002 — "Friend or Foe," Stone's Breath Gallery, Oceanside DE
• 2001 — "Life's Little Traumas," Corcoran Museum, Washington DC
• 2001 — Aroma Gallery, Washington DC
• 1998 — "American Self Taught Visionary," San Jose Art League, San Jose CA

Five separate solo exhibitions at Access Gallery in Denver between 2010 and 2016, and two at Jeanine Taylor Folk Art in Florida.

International

• Portugal 2025– — Represented by Chamazinha gallery, Figueira da Foz
• Slovenia 2023 — Exhibition of works held in the permanent collection, Gallery of Naïve Artists, Trebnje
• Russia 2018–19 — "Radical Fluidity: Grotesque in Art," MISP Museum, St. Petersburg
• France 2017 — Galerie Une Vision Singulière, Lamballe
• Canada 2016 — "Politicized," Gallery 1515, Vancouver (first Canadian solo)
• Italy 2014 — Museo e Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna (with catalogue)
• Australia 2014 — "All American Boy," 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace, Gold Coast
• France 2014 — Gallery 555, Cruseilles
• Spain 2013 — "Icons," Galleria Artevistas, Barcelona
• France 2011 — Galleria Saint-Pierre, Limoges
• Jordan 2010–11 — "A Shout Out From My City," Foresight Gallery, Amman
• Spain 2010 — "Balance of Power," Galeria Artevistas, Barcelona
• France 2010 — "Sesow in Albi," Galleria Artevistas (100+ paintings)
• Slovenia 2009 — 42nd International Meeting of Naïve Artists, Trebnje
• Spain 2009 — "Sesow in Barcelona," Galleria Artevistas
• France 2004–05 — International Art Singulier festival, Roquevaire, Provence (Dec–Jan, with catalogue — first exhibition in France)
• Costa Rica 2003 — Visiting artist residency, Ciudad Colón
• Bulgaria 2002 — Lived and painted in Sofia
• China 1998 — Painted in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore
• Solomon Islands 1998–99 — Painted while serving in the Peace Corps

Two-Person Exhibitions

Many of these are with the painter Dana Ellyn — Sesow's wife and studio-mate since 2017.

• 2017 — Gallery 50, Rehoboth, DE
• 2015 — Déjà Vu (with Dana Ellyn), Artevistas Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
• 2013 — Take No Prisoners, AMP Gallery, Provincetown, MA
• 2013 — Bar Crawl, Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD
• 2013 — Defiled, UMass, Boston, MA
• 2013 — Domesticated, Art Enables, Washington, DC
• 2012 — Stocking the Fridge, Fridge Gallery, Washington, DC
• 2012 — See Something, Say Something, Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel, MD
• 2012 — Birds and Bees, Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD
• 2011 — Dystopia (with Dana Ellyn), Dunes, Washington, DC
• 2011 — Flash Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
• 2010 — Til Death Do Us Part (wedding and show, with Dana Ellyn), Longview Gallery, Washington, DC
• 2008 — Under the Influence, Aroma, Washington, DC
• 2008 — Made In China, Longview Gallery, Washington, DC
• 2007 — Double Headed Monster (with J Coleman), Nozoku Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 2007 — Pax Attack, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
• 2006 — Driven (with Dana Ellyn), Gallery Neptune, Bethesda, MD
• 2006 — (with Justin Kaufman), Alcove Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 2006 — Soul Mining, Gallery One Eight, Washington, DC
• 2004 — Alcove Gallery, Atlanta, GA (Aug–Sept)

Group Exhibitions

• 2014 — A Tribute to Michael Jackson's 10 Best Film Clips, 19 Karen Contemporary Artspace, QLD, Australia
• 2012 — Messages from Outsiderdom, Joan Hisaoka Gallery, Washington, DC
• 2010 — Foresight Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan
• 2009 — GAGA Outsider Art, New York, NY
• 2009 — Outsider Art Show, Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY
• 2008 — Uncommon Vision, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, VA
• 2008 — Alcove Gallery, Atlanta, GA
• 2007 — Art in Heat, Warehouse Gallery, Washington, DC
• 2007 — Outsider Art in the Hamptons, Galerie BelAge, Westhampton Beach, NY
• 2007 — GAGA Arts Center, New York, NY
• 2007 — Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, NY
• 2006 — Pamela Skinner/Gwenna Howard Contemporary Art, Sacramento, CA
• 2004 — Artomatic, Washington, DC

Artist Statement

Painting is something I do every day and it is what I intend to do for the rest of my life. Painting has healed me. I found painting at the age of 28 after moving to Washington, DC, as a cure to the emotional pain I felt from losing my left hand as a child, after being hit by the propeller of a landing airplane in 1975.

My paintings are the emotional response to a traumatic past, the road to healing, and the confidence of finding a new language to express feelings felt but never shared. While some people see my paintings as angry or aggressive, many of my collectors and fans — including myself — see my work as hopeful, joyous, and eager to take on the world.

Most of my paintings include the "icons" I've invented to help the viewer decipher the meaning of my work. Trauma scars, trauma cups, bunnies, one-winged rising phoenixes and guardian angels are a few of the clues I use to tell my story. They also mark the time when a painting was made — an emotional check-up on myself, showing where I am, and when I look back at old paintings, where I've been.

What matters most to me is simpler than any exhibition: I want my paintings to be affordable enough that ordinary people can live with them. There are now more than 17,000 of them hanging in homes in over 40 countries, and most were bought by teachers, nurses, bartenders and neighbours — not investors. That is the part I am proudest of.

— Matt Sesow, Washington, DC

What Critics Have Written

"Sesow may very well be the most important artist working today. His paintings are explosions of color. Punk rock energy paired with the symbolism of alienation dressed in the finery of a rainbow."

— Ron Taylor, Demon Beach Records, 2005

"Matt Sesow, whose 'Bunny Collector' could hold its own with Grosz, and whose 'Hellbound III' posits a universe where Francis Bacon and Edvard Munch are the same."

— Las Vegas Mercury, 2003

"Sesow's nightmarish portraits possess a voracious brutality that hits the eyes like sand, but embed in the heart with unexpected wonder."

— Timothy Cahill, Albany Times Union, 2004

"Through his art, Sesow worked through the emotional knots created by his childhood accident… Sesow's paintings communicate the emotional power of his healing."

— Cate Hescox, Reuters News, 2004

"The essential appeal of the outsider spirit in art is robustly exemplified by the compelling impact of a Matt Sesow painting. His finest works tend to gather themselves to lunge at you and take root in unguarded channels of emotion."

— New Art International, Book Art Press, 2003

Milestones

• 2026Painting daily in Washington, DC. More than 17,000 original paintings sold to collectors in over 40 countries
• 2021Survey exhibition “Life and Limb” at Old Dominion University, shown alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat
• 2018–19Four paintings in “Radical Fluidity: Grotesque in Art” at the MISP Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
• 2017Twenty-six paintings selected for the permanent collection of the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore
• 2017Three-week artist residency with The Squire Foundation, Santa Barbara — over 200 paintings in twenty-one days
• 2016–17Year-long solo exhibition “Shock and Awe” at the American Visionary Art Museum
• 2015Washington Post feature: “The saga of Matt Sesow: how a one-handed artist is seizing DC’s art world”
• 2015Painting “Dive Bomb” released internationally on a United Nations postage stamp — stamp.sesow.com
• 2015Documentary “Join Hands: The Art and Life of Matt Sesow” released — film.sesow.com
• 2014Museum exhibition with catalogue, Museo e Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna, Italy
• 2013Selected by the United Nations to be featured in their postal stamp programme as a disabled artist
• 2011Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk — “Into the Mainstream: Self-Taught Artists from the Garbisch and Gordon Collections”
• 2009First American representative at the 42nd International Meeting of Naïve Artists, Trebnje, Slovenia
• 2008“Bukowski Undigested” — book of Linda King’s poetry, illustrated by Sesow
• 2006Feature article in DC Style Magazine
• 2006Curated and painted the DC Street Banners for “Banners from the Fringe”, Washington DC
• 2006Painted live on stage during a performance of Don Giovanni at the Raleigh, NC opera house
• 2005“Collateral Damage”, Phoenix AZ — ten plays written and performed in response to a single 8′×9′ Sesow painting. Won Best Experimental Theater
• 2005Painted in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 2004First exhibition at the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore — two paintings in “Holy H2O: Fluid Universe”, running through September 2005. A Washington Post Critic’s Pick, covered by Reuters
• 2004First solo exhibition in New York City — Big Cat Gallery, East Village, curated by David Hurd and staged four blocks from the Outsider Art Fair
• 2004Returning guest artist, Kentuck Festival, Tuscaloosa AL
• 2003Guest artist, Kentuck Festival, Tuscaloosa AL
• 2003“Best Artist” award, 25th annual Adams Morgan Festival, Washington DC
• 2003Painted the set for the Hollywood play “F**king Wasps” about Alfred Kinsey
• 2003Conceived and began “31 Days in July” with Dana Ellyn — a project that ran ten years
• 2003Selected by jury for an artist residency in Costa Rica
• 2002Lived and painted for a month in Sofia, Bulgaria as a GeekCorps volunteer
• 2001Left his software career. First solo museum show, “Life’s Little Traumas” (White Walls), Corcoran Museum, Washington DC — 45 works
• 2000Moved into a dedicated painting studio in DC and began painting at a feverish pace
• 1999Interview in Brutarian Magazine
• 1998–99Peace Corps volunteer in the Solomon Islands; painted throughout
• 1997Travelled to and painted in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore
• 1996First group exhibition, ‘State of the Union’ gallery, Washington DC
• 1996Lectured at Georgetown University on painting and film. His short film “The Box” won a Best Experimental Film award
• 1995Sold fourteen paintings in one afternoon on the streets of Georgetown — the first time his work was seen in public. Among the first artists anywhere to sell paintings online
• 1994Short films shown at the WPA group exhibition and selected for the DC Psychtronic Film Society exhibition
• 1993Began painting in oils on evenings and weekends, drawing on his childhood trauma. Completed his first short film, “Seize the Day”