Donald Roller Wilson American, b. 1938
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Biography
Donald Roller Wilson (b. 1938) was born in Houston, Texas and is currently lives and works in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Roller Wilson is a Gothic storyteller with the phenomenal technique and precision of an old master, animating his paintings with finely wrought clothed chimpanzees, dogs, and cats, wooden matches, dill pickles, asparagus stalks, olives, and cigarette butts. He creates characters like Cookie the Baby Orangutan, Jane the Pug Girl, Jack the Jack Russell "Terror," Loretta the Actress Cat, Miss Dog America, and Patricia the Seeing Eye Dog of Houston. Each spring from the artist's hyper-vivid imagination into lengthy caption fantasies and onto canvases that require an enormous amount of time to complete, all painted in vivid detail, reminiscent of the 16th century Dutch masters.
Working in oil on linen, Wilson’s paintings combine theatrical lighting, dark, velvety backgrounds, and jewel-like precision to conjure surreal, narrative scenes that merge humor, mystery, and melancholy. The artist personally prepares his canvases and custom carves elaborate gilded frames, treating each work as a complete object. Long, handwritten captions or inscriptions often accompany his compositions, deepening the sense of a dreamlike fable unfolding within a meticulously constructed world. His characters, which reappear across decades, form an interconnected mythology that blends Southern Gothic storytelling with painterly virtuosity.
Wilson’s work is represented in major museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. Critically acclaimed for both its technical mastery and eccentric vision, his art has been described as “old master painting in the service of whimsy,” capturing the tension between devotion and absurdity, reverence and play. Through this unique fusion of craftsmanship and imagination, Wilson has secured a singular place in contemporary American painting.
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Selected Public Collections
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Exhibitions
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55 Years
Isn't That Long Enough? Jun 26 – Aug 14, 2025Featuring paintings, works on paper, sculpture, film, and archival ephemera from the SFMOMA Library, and SFAI archive, this ambitious exhibition showcases museum-quality works by contemporary and historical artists, illustrating Berggruen...View More -
Berggruen Gallery in East Hampton
55 Main Street East Hampton, NY 11937 May 14 – Sep 12, 2021Berggruen Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of an exhibition space in East Hampton for the 2021 summer season. The gallery space is located in the heart of East Hampton Village at 55 Main Street. Berggruen Gallery’s special "pop-up" will be on view May 14 — September 30, 2021. Hours: Monday-Wednesday, by appointment; Thursday-Sunday, 11am-5pm.View More
John Berggruen first opened his eponymous gallery in downtown San Francisco in the spring of 1970. Five decades later, the gallery has executed more than 800 major exhibitions, participated in significant domestic and international art fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach, and exhibited at the Art Dealer's Association of America's The Art Show, since the fair's inception, for the past 33 years. A cornerstone of the West Coast art world, Berggruen Gallery is proud to deepen our roots on both coasts of the country with this exciting East Coast venture.
Berggruen Gallery will present a curated selection of Modern and Contemporary paintings, sculptures, and limited-edition prints. The presentation will reflect the gallery’s ongoing dedication to juxtaposing historical works with those from the contemporary canon. The gallery will feature a dynamic and diverse group of internationally-acclaimed artists, including renowned Post-War American painters like Richard Diebenkorn, Helen Frankenthaler, and Wayne Thiebaud, as well as many important contemporary artists artists such as Diana Al-Hadid, John Currin, Beatriz Milhazes, Odili Donald Odita, and Jonas Wood. Berggruen Gallery is excited to present a unique breadth of work—transcending subject matter, composition, medium, and technique—for the summer of 2021 in East Hampton.
Artists
Diana Al-Hadid | John Alexander | Stephan Balkenhol | Christopher Brown | Bruce Cohen
Michael Craig-Martin | John Currin | Richard Diebenkorn | Helen Frankenthaler
Isca Greenfield-Sanders | Stephen Hannock | Jasper Johns | Paul Kremer | Alicia McCarthy
Tom McKinley | Beatriz Milhazes | Odili Donald Odita | David Park | Joel Shapiro
Wayne Thiebaud | Stanley Whitney | Lucy Williams | Donald Roller Wilson | Jonas Wood -
Donald Roller Wilson
Dec 1 – 23, 2019Berggruen Gallery is proud to present selected paintings from 1977-2014 by Donald Roller Wilson as a part of the artist's eponymous exhibition with the gallery, on view for the month of December 2019.View More
Donald Roller Wilson was born in Houston, Texas and currently lives and works in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Roller Wilson is a Gothic storyteller with the phenomenal technique and precision of an old master, animating his paintings with finely wrought clothed chimpanzees, dogs, and cats, wooden matches, dill pickles, asparagus stalks, olives, and cigarette butts. He creates characters like Cookie the Baby Orangutan, Jane the Pug Girl, Jack the Jack Russell "Terror," Loretta the Actress Cat, Miss Dog America, and Patricia the Seeing Eye Dog of Houston. Each character springs from the artist's hyper-vivid imagination into lengthy caption fantasies and onto canvases that require an enormous amount of time to complete, all painted in vivid detail, reminiscent of the 16th century Dutch masters. Roller Wilson's recognizable works hang in the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, IL; Whitney Museum, New York, New York; Bank of America, San Francisco, CA; and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden- Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C. -
The Bear Necessities
Feb 2 – Mar 17, 2012View More -
The Art of Giving
Dec 9, 2010 – Jan 19, 2011View More
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Art Fairs
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The San Francisco Fall Show
San Francisco, California Oct 15 – 19, 2025Berggruen Gallery is delighted to participate in the 2025 San Francisco Fall Show. Please visit us at The Festival Pavilion at The Fort Mason Center. Tickets are required for all show dates. Exhibiting artists to be announced.View More -
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida Dec 4 – 9, 20242024 will mark Berggruen Gallery’s twenty-second consecutive year participating in Art Basel Miami Beach, since the fair’s inception.View More -
Dallas Art Fair
Dallas, Texas Apr 4 – 7, 2024View More -
FOG Design + Art
San Francisco, California Jan 18 – 21, 2024View More -
The San Francisco Fall Show
San Francisco, California Oct 11 – 15, 2023View More -
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida Dec 3 – 6, 2015John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in Art Basel Miami Beach. Please visit our booth D03 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.View More -
FOG Design + Art
San Francisco, California Jan 14 – 18, 2015John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to announce its participation in FOG Design and Art at Fort Mason Center, Festival Pavilion, San Francisco. A preview benefiting...View More -
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida Dec 4 – 7, 2014John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in Art Basel Miami Beach. Please visit our booth D03 at the Miami Beach Convention Center....View More -
ADAA The Art Show
New York City, New York Mar 4 – 9, 2014Now celebrating its 26th year, The Art Show, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) features thoughtfully curated solo, two-person, and thematic exhibitions...View More -
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida Dec 5 – 8, 2013John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to participate in Art Basel Miami Beach 2013, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. If you are in the area,...View More -
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida Dec 3 – 7, 2008John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to announce our participation in Art Basel Miami Beach. Please visit our at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Hope to...View More -
The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show
San Francisco, California Oct 18 – 21, 2007Berggruen Gallery is delighted to participate in the 2007 San Francisco Fall Show. Please visit us at the Festival Pavilion at The Fort Mason Center....View More -
ADAA The Art Show
New York City, New York Feb 21 – 26, 2007John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to participate in The Art Show organized by the Art Dealers Association of America.View More
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