Morgan Betz

Morgan Betz is a Dutch-American visual artist, born in Amsterdam in 1974, who works across painting, sculpture, and installation. Educated at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and De Ateliers in the Netherlands, he currently lives and works in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Japan.

Betz’s artistic practice is characterized by a playful yet provocative exploration of the tension between reality and fiction, and the dynamic relationship between physical and mental space. He often uses recognizable, everyday images—like fish, garden fences, or fragments of pop culture (such as Dragonball Z or Elvis)—and reconfigures them into complex, layered narratives. His finished works are a reservoir of images, fragments, and quotations that challenge the viewer’s perceptions.

He is known for a deliberately subversive approach, using bright, highly saturated colors and combining painting with materials like paper maché or oil stick. His method often involves building up and partially deconstructing collected materials and images to create an open narrative line, often referencing themes of revolution, utopia, transience, and decay.