Joel Mesler

Joel Mesler (b. 1974, Los Angeles, California) is an American artist, dealer, and entrepreneur whose multifaceted career blurs the boundaries between art-making, art dealing, and institutional critique. After studying at the San Francisco Art Institute, Mesler established himself first as a gallerist, founding Rental Gallery in Los Angeles in 2004 before moving to New York where he operated several galleries.

Mesler's breakthrough as an artist came around 2016. His work is characterized by bright, accessible imagery combining text, pattern, and figurative elements that draw from personal memory, childhood experiences, and psychological exploration. His signature style features loose, illustrative brushwork and a palette reminiscent of children's books, creating deceptively simple compositions that often contain deeper reflections on vulnerability, anxiety, and self-examination.

In 2017, Mesler relocated to East Hampton, New York, where he opened Rental Gallery while continuing to develop his painting practice. This dual identity as both dealer and artist places Mesler in a unique position to comment on art world economics and social dynamics from within.

Joel Mesler at Château La Coste. Photo: Jessica Dalene, courtesy of David Kordansky Gallery.