Chaz Guest

Chaz Guest (b. 1961, Niagara Falls, NY) holds degrees from the University of Southern Connecticut State University, CT and the Fashion Design/Fashion Illustration program at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, NY.

A fascination with Japan has pervaded Guest's life since his formative years, a predilection he traces back to a seminal moment during the Montreal Olympic Games of 1976. There, the indomitable display of poise and mental tenacity exhibited by Japanese gymnast Shun Fujimoto, who valiantly performed despite sustaining grave injuries, left an indelible mark on Guest's artistic sensibilities, and continues to inform his practice today.

His work has been subject of numerous exhibitions, including at Les Moliere Palais Royal in Paris, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD), Vito Schnabel Gallery, Night Gallery and the Torrance Art Museum, among others. Guest’s work belongs to the collection of the Ulrich Museum of Art, Zuzeum Art Centre, and numerous private collections, including former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie, and Herbie Hancock. His work has been featured in reviews from the Guardian, The New York Times, National Portrait Gallery, and Los Angeles Magazine, among others. Guest recently completed a residency at Atelier Jolie in New York, NY. Guest lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. His LA -based studio, affectionately dubbed "the cave," serves as the crucible wherein Guest meticulously realizes his artworks.

Born in 1961 at Niagara Falls, NY, US ; Lives and Works in Los Angeles, US.

EDUCATION

- B.S -University of Southern Connecticut State University - Connecticut, US.
- (FIT) Fashion Institute of Technology – 9 Months in the Fashion Design/ Fashion Illustration program - New York, US.


PERSONNAL EXHIBITIONS (selection)

2025
- Solo show à l’Armory Show, SLAG&RX New-York, US.
- Amusement Parks & Ice Cream, SLAG&RX, New-York, US.
2024
- Exposition et Lecture demonstrative, Kyushu Sangyo University, Japan.
- Focus : Chaz Guest paintings, SLAG&RX New York, US.
2022
- Chaz Guest : Gaining Pride with Promises Broken, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, US.
- Chaz Guest : Memories of Warriors, Vito Schnabel Gallery, Greenwich Village, New York, US.
2021
- Chaz Guest & Josh Callaghan : Promised Land, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, US.
2018
- Chaz Guest : Buffalo Soldiers, Patrick Painter Inc., Los Angeles, US.
2017
- Chaz Guest : Buffalo Warrior, Patrick Painter Inc., Los Angeles, US.
2016
- Visual Artists Group, Justin Gilanyi, Los Angeles, US.
2010 – 2015
- Le Cabinet de Curiosities de Thomas Erber, Les Moliere, Palais Royal, Paris, France.
2009
- Decoding Identity : I Do It For My People, Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, US.
2006
- Left Coast Galleries, Studio City, US.
2003
- Kretchner Gallery, West Hollywood, US.
2002
- ALP Gallery, Chelsea, New York, US.
2001
- Muriel K Boris Gallery, West Hollywood, US.
2000
- Alitash Kebede Gallery, Los Angeles, US.
1999
- Benjamin Horowitz / Heritage Gallery, Los Angeles, US.
1997
- Blue Note Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
1993 – 1995
- Lumina Art Gallery, SOHO, New York, US.


GROUP EXHIBITIONS (selection)

2024
- Freize Studio Visit, Los Angeles, US.
2022
- Growing Out? Growing Up?, Contemporary Art Collecting in the Baltics, Zuzeum Centre, Riga, Leetonia.
- Color Of The Times, Leeahn Gallery, Daegu, South Korea.
- These Days Part II by Vito Schnabel Gallery, Sotheby’s Los Angeles, US.
2021
- Friend Zone, Half Gallery, New York, US.
2019
- To Save The Day : Superheroes In Art, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, US.
2017
- The Xenomorph’s Egg, Patrick Painter Inc., Los Angeles, US.


COLLECTIONS

2017
- Commissioned to Paint Ashanti Osei Tutu, Accra, Ghana.
2015
- Work displayed on set of Fox Network show Empire, US.
2008
- Painting installed in President Barack Obama’s Oval Office, Washington DC, US.


RESIDENCES

2025
- Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France.
2024
- Atelier Jolie, New York, US.
2015
- Balthus Foundation Artist Residency at the Grande Chalet, Lausanne, Swiss.
2014
- Mexican Consulate General IPSUM.


PRESS

2024
- NHK World - Japan, “Art Beyond Cultural Barrier: Chaz Guest / Artist,” Documentary
2023
- UTA Fine Arts, “Chaz Guest & Arthur Lewis,”
- Ulrich Museum of Art, “The 2010s: Chaz Guest,”
2022
- Cultured Magazine, “At Night Gallery, Chaz Guest Paints His Own Superheroes,” Ricky Amadour
- The Guardian, “I’m Battling having my Culture be so Misrepresented” Veronica Esposito
- Essence, “Artist Chaz Guest on Legacy, Integrity, and What it Really Means To Be Brave” Keyaira Boone
- The New York Times, “Painting Black Warriors, With Michael K. Williams as His Model” Ted Loose
- News at Southern, Southern Connecticut State University, “Painter Chaz Guest, 85’, Portrays ‘Memories of Warriors’”
- Trebuchet Magazine, “Memories of a Warrior”
2021
- Los Angeles Magazine, “Painter Chaz Guest’s Long, Lively Road to Art – World Acclaim” Michael Slenske
2020
- National Portrait Gallery, “In Conversation with Chaz Guest”
- Monarch Magazine, “Chaz Guest Soul Immortalized”