New Paintings, Posted Every Week
Matt paints nearly every day in his Washington, DC studio and posts the newest work first. Available direct from the artist — no gallery, no middleman.
Original Art You Can Actually Afford
Matt Sesow has been a full-time Washington DC artist since 2001, painting out of a small studio in the District nearly every single day. He is self-taught, he sells his own work, and he answers his own email.
He lost his left hand at the age of eight, struck by the propeller of a landing airplane in rural Nebraska in 1975. He started painting at 28 as a way to work through it, and never stopped. The trauma scars, the one-winged phoenixes, the guardian angels and bunnies that recur across his canvases are the private language he built to say what he couldn't say out loud.
More than 17,000 original Sesow paintings now hang in homes in over 40 countries — very likely more individual households than any other living painter. Almost none of those buyers were investors or institutions. They were people who saw something they loved, emailed the artist, and could afford it. Keeping it that way has been the entire point since 1994.
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Matt paints almost every day, and the newest work goes out to his list first — before it's posted anywhere else. No spam, no algorithm deciding whether you see it, and you can leave any time. Just new paintings, straight from the studio in Washington, DC.
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Explore the Work
Selected Exhibitions & Museum Collections
United States
- 2021 — "Life and Limb," Old Dominion University, Norfolk VA (exhibited alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat)
- 2016–17 — Year-long solo, "Shock and Awe," American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore MD — 26 paintings entered the permanent collection
- 2017 — Solo, Silo118 Gallery, Santa Barbara CA
- 2017 — Solo, Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery, Sanford FL
- 2016 — Solo, Access Gallery, Denver CO
- 2015 — "Dive Bomb" released on a United Nations postage stamp
- 2014 — Solo, AMP Gallery, Provincetown MA
- 2013 — Solo, Waverley Street Gallery, Bethesda MD
- 2012 — Solo, "Birdhouses," BVP Gallery, Washington DC
- 2011 — Solo, FOE Gallery, Northampton MA
- 2009 — Solo, Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk VA
- 2008 — Baron & Ellin Gordon Art Galleries, Old Dominion University
- 2003 — "Best Artist," Adams Morgan Festival, Washington DC
- 2001 — Solo, "Life's Little Traumas," Corcoran Museum, Washington DC
- 2002–05 — "Revelations and Reflections of American Self-Taught Artists," touring 10 states
- 1998 — Solo, San Jose Art League, San Jose CA
International
- Russia 2018–19 — "Radical Fluidity: Grotesque in Art," MISP Museum, St. Petersburg
- Canada 2016 — Solo, Gallery 1515, Vancouver
- Australia 2014 — Solo, "All American Boy," Gold Coast
- France 2014 — Solo, Gallery 555, Cruseilles
- Spain 2013 — Solo, "Icons," Galleria Artevistas, Barcelona
- France 2011 — Solo, Galleria Saint-Pierre, Limoges
- Jordan 2011 — "A Shout Out From My City," Foresight Gallery, Amman
- France 2010 — Solo, "Sesow in Albi," Galleria Artevistas
- Slovenia 2009 — First American representative, 42nd International Meeting of Naïve Artists, Trebnje
- Spain 2009 — Solo, "Sesow in Barcelona," Galleria Artevistas
- Solomon Islands 1998–99 — Painted while serving in the Peace Corps
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
"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
"Sesow flash-freezes the shock of events through his raw figures' facial expressions and body language. Bright colors and large, animated forms both hulking and diminutive render even primal scream scenes approachable; the Matt-osphere is tumultuous, but not forbidding."
— Robin Tierney, The Washington Examiner, 2008
"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
"Matt Sesow's 'Father of the Bride' threatens to steal the show with its irrepressible expressionistic angst… defined by the remarkable violence of its brush strokes."
— Allison Hersh, Savannah Morning News, 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
"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
"Brace yourself… To encounter Matt Sesow's paintings is to enter a maelstrom. Undiluted primary colors fly off the wall, blinding, dazzling."
— Laura Parsons, The Hook, Charlottesville VA, 2004
"Matt Sesow… is a master of angular lines and jarring color."
— J. Bowers, Baltimore City Paper, 2004
"Every stroke is like a cannonball hitting the canvas."
— Chris Warner, Alcove Gallery, Atlanta Magazine, 2004
More press, quotes and reviews
Coagula Magazine, Hollywood CA, 2003 (Shana Nys Dambrot) — on paintings commissioned for the play F**king Wasps: "These complex, savage, allegorical portraits not only represented but actually contained the entire psychological subtext of the play… The paintings were an integral part of the content of the production, not just its style."
San Francisco Bay Guardian, 2008 — "The paint-dribbled set proffers three large semi-abstract canvases by artist Matt Sesow — crazed portraiture for an age inclined less to the revolutionary romanticism of a Delacroix than the bastard offspring of Francis Bacon and Ralph Steadman."
Jim Magner, Capitol Hill Rag, 2005 — "Matt's work still bites big holes in the canvas and the sanctified social order of the day. Only now there is a greater confidence, with a higher level of sophistication in color and composition."
DC Style Magazine, 2006 (Molly Knight) — "Sesow's canvases would hardly complement floral-print furniture. But the personality behind the art is anything but dark. A polite, affable man with bright blue eyes… Sesow chuckles often and appears to be enjoying life."
Brutarian Magazine, issue #28 — "Matt is a true Brutarian, a self-taught painter who, despite having his work extensively shown and written about, has little interest in becoming part of the art network."
Tony Harvey, InTowner Magazine, Washington DC, 2004 — on the AVAM 'Holy H2O' show: "Explosively colored and powerfully composed expressionist paintings… broad-brushed self-portraits with a compellingly dramatic tension that draws in the viewer."
Mark St. John Erickson, Daily Press, 2008 — "Two of Sesow's searing yet unexpectedly complex paintings can now be seen at the Gordon Galleries of Old Dominion University… insightful explorations of the human psyche."
Matt Sesow, interviewed 2004 — "I want to paint emotionally charged intense works that cause discomfort or inspire people to challenge themselves. I had some unique physical trauma as a child that got me started on this path… I'm a generally happy person, but I have taught myself to channel anger and intensity in art." Read the full interview
Questions Collectors Ask
How do I buy an original Matt Sesow painting?
Email Matt directly at sesow@sesow.com. He answers his own email and sells his paintings himself — no gallery, no middleman, no commission. Tell him which painting you like and he'll reply with the price and the details.
Is the work affordable?
Yes — that has been the point since 1994. Over 17,000 original Sesow paintings hang in homes in more than 40 countries, and most were bought by ordinary working people rather than museums or investors. Sizes and prices vary widely; just ask.
Can I visit the studio in Washington, DC?
Yes. Studio visits are welcome by appointment — email in advance to set one up. You can also look inside the studio here.
Is Matt Sesow a disabled artist?
Yes. Matt lost his left hand at age eight when he was struck by the propeller of a landing airplane in Nebraska in 1975. He paints one-handed. The accident is the origin of much of his imagery — the trauma scars, the one-winged rising phoenix, the guardian angels.
How often is new work posted?
Several times a week at new.sesow.com. Matt has painted nearly every day since 1994.
Can I be notified when new paintings are finished?
Yes — join the mailing list and new work comes to you first, before it's posted anywhere else. Free, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Archive
Exhibition history and news, 2008–2012
2012 — "Messages from Outsiderdom," Joan Hisaoka Gallery, Washington DC · "Trickle Down" solo, VSA Colorado Access Gallery, Denver · "Stocking the Fridge" with Dana Ellyn, The Fridge, DC · "31 Days in July" · "See Something, Say Something," Montpelier Art Center, Laurel MD · "Independent Party," FOE Gallery, Northampton MA · "Dystopia" with Dana Ellyn, The Dunes, DC · "From the Gut," Jeanine Taylor Gallery FL · "Birdhouses" solo, BVP Dupont Circle · "Tight Fit" group show, The Dunes · "Birds and Bees" with Dana Ellyn, Adah Rose Gallery · "Yuri's Night," DC
2011 — Solo, FOE Gallery, Northampton MA · Solo, Galerie Saint-Pierre, Limoges France · "A Shout Out From My City," Foresight Gallery, Amman Jordan · Two-person show, Flash Gallery, Barcelona · Solo, JP Art Market Gallery, Boston · M55 Gallery, New York · Slovenian Embassy group show, DC · "Political Potpourri," MOCA DC · Adams Morgan Festival
2010 — "Balance of Power" solo, Galeria Artevistas, Barcelona · "Pet Project" solo, VSA Colorado, Denver · "Super Men and Scoundrels" solo, The Gallery at Black Rock, Bridgeport CT · "Sesow in Albi" solo, Gallery ArteVistas, France · "Till Death Do Us Part," Long View Gallery, DC · Symposium speaker, "Unique Perspectives: The Healing Power of Making Art," Takoma Park MD
2009 — Solo, Mayer Fine Art, Norfolk VA · First American representative, 42nd Conference of Naïve/Self-Taught Artists, Trebnje Slovenia · "Sesow in Barcelona" solo, ArteVistas (60+ paintings) · 6th year of "31 Days in July" · 1st Annual Bukowski show, Los Angeles · GAGA Outsider Art, NY · Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh NY · group show, Portland OR · two-page feature, East Coast Snowboarding magazine
2008 — "Made in China" with Dana Ellyn, Long View Gallery, DC · "Collective Wisdom: Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection," Old Dominion University · "Uncommon Vision," Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News VA · "3rd Annual Outsider Art in the Hamptons," Galerie BelAge · "Breaking the Walls of Bias: Art by Survivors," Galerie BelAge · "Outside In," GAGA Arts Center, NY · Artomatic DC, 8th floor (~50 paintings plus a digital frame showing 5,000 works) · painted the set for "All You Can Eat," foolsFURY Theater, San Francisco · "BrUSHfire," Gallery Plan B, DC · PASS Gallery fall group show, DC · Arts on Foot / Adams Morgan Day · month painting across China · Bukowski Undigested book, Beat Museum, San Francisco
The complete year-by-year record lives at history.sesow.com.
Talk to the Artist
There's no gallery to go through and no assistant screening messages. Email Matt about a painting, a commission, a studio visit in Washington DC, or an exhibition — he reads and answers it himself.
