John Waters

(American, born 1946)

John Waters is an American artist best known for his satirical and raunchy movies. Also a visual artist, Waters’ photography, sculpture, and installations pieces humorously recontextualize art and popular culture. Born on April 22, 1946 in Baltimore, MD, Waters briefly attended NYU for film but was kicked out for what he claims was the “first ever marijuana scandal on a university campus.” Waters then returned to Baltimore in 1966 where he began collaborating on films with his longtime friend and muse Glenn Milstead, also known as Divine. He gained a cult following in the 1970s with his transgressive films Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974), as well as the box office hit Hairspray (1988). “Hairspray is the only really devious movie I ever made,” the filmmaker stated. “The musical based on it is now being performed in practically every high school in America – and nobody seems to notice it’s a show with two men singing a love song to each other that also encourages white teen girls to date black guys.” In the early 1990s Waters began creating photography based work and installations. The artist’s 2015 commencement speech for the Rhode Island School of Design was turned into the book Make Trouble. His works are in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the New Museum in New York, among others. Waters lives and works in Baltimore, MD.

John Waters Artworks

John Waters (97 results)
Scene Missing, 2000

John Waters

Scene Missing, 2000

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

 'Condemned', 2000

John Waters

'Condemned', 2000

Sale Date: April 5, 2024

Auction Closed

Visit Marfa, 2003

John Waters

Visit Marfa, 2003

Sale Date: February 14, 2024

Auction Closed

Visual Chemistry - Queen of Hearts, 1988

John Waters

Visual Chemistry - Queen of Hearts, 1988

Sale Date: February 7, 2024

Auction Closed

Visual Chemistry - Sleeping Rose, 1988

John Waters

Visual Chemistry - Sleeping Rose, 1988

Sale Date: February 7, 2024

Auction Closed

Farrah, 2000

John Waters

Farrah, 2000

Sale Date: December 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Scene Missing, 2000

John Waters

Scene Missing, 2000

Sale Date: December 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Taxi!, 1996

John Waters

Taxi!, 1996

Sale Date: November 29, 2023

Auction Closed

Tragedy (for Parkett 96), 2015

John Waters

Tragedy (for Parkett 96), 2015

Sale Date: October 31, 2023

Auction Closed

A John Waters For Adora Porcelain Plate Set

John Waters

A John Waters For Adora Porcelain Plate Set

Sale Date: October 10, 2023

Auction Closed

I Accuse, 2006

John Waters

I Accuse, 2006

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

The Girls, 2003

John Waters

The Girls, 2003

Sale Date: September 13, 2023

Auction Closed

Visual Chemistry - 17 Members of the Civic..., 1988

John Waters

Visual Chemistry - 17 Members of the Civic..., 1988

Sale Date: May 18, 2023

Auction Closed

Christmas ornaments and ephemera, 2013

John Waters

Christmas ornaments and ephemera, 2013

Sale Date: March 15, 2023

Auction Closed

The Girls: Kim, 2003

John Waters

The Girls: Kim, 2003

Sale Date: December 8, 2022

Auction Closed

Manson Copies Brad Pitt, 2003

John Waters

Manson Copies Brad Pitt, 2003

Sale Date: November 16, 2022

Auction Closed

Children Who Smoke, 2009

John Waters

Children Who Smoke, 2009

Sale Date: November 17, 2022

Auction Closed

Visual Chemistry - Dancing Worms, 1988

John Waters

Visual Chemistry - Dancing Worms, 1988

Sale Date: September 22, 2022

Auction Closed

Idol #1 (Portraits of Glenn Gould), 2003

John Waters

Idol #1 (Portraits of Glenn Gould), 2003

Sale Date: March 9, 2022

Auction Closed

THE HOT SEAT - 2001, 2001

John Waters

THE HOT SEAT - 2001, 2001

Sale Date: December 8, 2021

Auction Closed

Poultry, 2014

John Waters

Poultry, 2014

Sale Date: July 1, 2021

Auction Closed

Divine in Prayer, 1995, 1995

John Waters

Divine in Prayer, 1995, 1995

Sale Date: May 27, 2021

Auction Closed

John Waters

"30 Days, 2003

Sale Date: May 23, 2021

Auction Closed

Scene Missing, 2000, 2000

John Waters

Scene Missing, 2000, 2000

Sale Date: May 25, 2021

Auction Closed