Jenny Watson (artist) facts for kids
Jennifer Watson (born 1951) is an Australian artist. She is well-known for her paintings that mix words and pictures.
About Jenny Watson
Jenny Watson was born in Melbourne in 1951. Today, she lives and works in Samford, Queensland. She started her art journey in the 1970s, spending time in Melbourne and London.
In 1972, she studied painting at the National Gallery of Victoria Art School in Melbourne. The next year, she also earned a teaching diploma from the State College of Victoria. She had her very first art show by herself in 1973.
Early on, her art was inspired by 'conceptual art' (art based on ideas), the feminist movement, and the punk rock scene in London and Melbourne. What makes her unique is how she brought these ideas into her paintings of people and things. She created her own special way of showing ideas, often putting text right into her pictures. She also helps guide young artists at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University.
Her Art Career
Jenny Watson became famous in Australia during the 1980s. This was a time when many artists were exploring how words and images work together. They also looked at how painting and photography connect, and how art relates to popular culture.
Watson's art was part of this big discussion about how we see and understand things. She found her own way to express ideas, often making her work feel very personal. She once said that realizing she could be a serious woman artist helped her make her art more unique. She moved from just painting pictures to exploring deeper ideas, often about her own life.
Art experts have described her work as "confessional." This means her art often shares personal feelings and experiences.
In 1993, Jenny Watson was chosen to represent Australia at the 45th Venice Biennale. This is a very important international art exhibition. In 2017, a large show of her work was displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne.
Art Shows
Jenny Watson's work has been shown in many exhibitions around the world. Here are some of her selected shows:
Solo Exhibitions
- 2017: Jenny Watson, The Fabric of Fantasy, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia
- 2016: Jenny Watson, Chronicles, Griffith University Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
- 2016: Just a Girl, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, Australia
- 2015: Fabrications, Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
- 2014: Garden of Eden and Child's Play, Galerie Transit, Belgium
Group Exhibitions
- 2016: Painting, More Painting-Chapter 2, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, Australia
- 2015: Redlands Konica Minolta Art Prize, National Art School, Sydney, Australia
- 2014: Solitaire, Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Healesville, Victoria, Australia
- 2013: Mix Tape 1980s: Appropriation, Subculture, Critical Style, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
- 2012: Contemporary Australia: Women, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia
- 2002: Fieldwork: Australian Art 1968 - 2002, National Gallery of Victoria, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia
