Kenny Scharf (b. 1958, United States) is a renowned artist affiliated with the 1980’s East Village Art movement in New York. Scharf developed a distinct and uniquely personal artistic style in paintings as well as sculpture, alongside his mentor Andy Warhol, and contemporaries like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring with whom he pioneered contemporary street art. References to popular culture reoccur throughout his works, such as appropriated cartoon characters from the Flintstones and Jetsons, as well as imagined anthropomorphic creatures. Through ecstatic compositions and a dazzling color palette, Scharf presents an immersive viewing experience that is both intimate and fresh. Scharf’s multifaceted practice—spanning painting, sculpture, installation work, murals, performance and fashion—reflects his dedication to the creation of dynamic forms of art that deconstruct existing artistic hierarchies, echoing the philosophy of Pop artists. Yet Scharf’s artistic significance expands beyond the art historical terrain of Pop Art; the artist instead coined the term “Pop Surrealist” to describe his one-of-a-kind practice. His inclusion in the 1985 Whitney Biennial marked the start of his international phenomenon, a reputation that continues to thrive today.
Kenny Scharf
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Portrait of Kenny Scharf, 1982
Portrait of Kenny Scharf in 1982
Photo by Timmy -
Portrait of Scharf, Warhol, and Haring
Portrait of Scharf, Warhol, and Haring -
Kenny Scharf, Tree Life, 2020
Oil, acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen with powder coated aluminum frame
152.4 x 182.9 cm
60 x 72 in -
Kenny Scharf, Spin Out, 2020
Oil, acrylic and spray paint on linen with powder coated aluminum frame
228.6 x 177.8 cm
90 x 70 in -
Kenny Scharf, Zoom Way!, 2020
Oil and acrylic on linen with powder coated aluminum frame
152.4 x 182.9 cm
60 x 72 in -
Kenny Scharf, Squirtz, 2013
Enamel, spray paint and rhinestones on cast fiberglass
122.6 x 58.4 x 91.4 cm
48 1/4 x 23 x 36 in (sculpture, without pedestal) -
Kenny Scharf, Stellar Float, 2020
Oil and acrylic on linen with powder coated aluminum frame
152.4 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm
60 x 48 x 2 in
60 5/8 x 48 3/4 x 2 1/4 in (framed)
Exhibitions
Selected press
- Alison Moss, Kenny Scharf, Le Quotidien de l'Art, December 2021 — 222.0 kB
- Henri-François Debailleux, ‘Kenny Scharf, vibrations cosmiques', Le Journal des Arts, February 2021 — 77.1 kB
- Lauren Cochrane, ‘How 62-year-old Kenny Scharf became "the hottest new artist on Earth"’, The Face, January 2021 — 4.3 MB
- Tessa Solomon, Claire Selvin, Alex Greenberger, Maximiliano Duron, 'ARTnews in Brief: Almine Rech Announces Second Paris Location - and More from December 18, 2020’, ARTnews, December 2020 — 259.7 kB
- ‘Almine Rech to open new gallery in Paris with Kenny Scharf solo show’, ArtDaily, January 2021 — 325.4 kB
- Katriane Allard, 'Opening: Kenny Scharf’s ‘Vaxi Nation’ Exhibit at the New Almine Rech Paris Gallery', Blackbook, January 19, 2021 — 19.5 MB
- Eliza Jordan - "Kenny Scharf Dives into the Artist’s Mind Amid the Pandemic"- Whitewall, October 15,2020 — 937.7 kB
- Keith Estiler - "Kenny Scharf Creates New Pop Surrealist Paintings for New York Exhibition", Hypebeast, September 10,2020 — 218.1 kB
- Artnet News -"Studio Visit: Painter Kenny Scharf on the Superfood That Fuels His Work, and Why He Canʼt Stand Art About the Art World", Artnet News, September 8,2020 — 14.1 MB
- "Art Industry News: Art Baselʼs Marc Spiegler Promises ʻthe Future of the Art World Is Not Digitalʼ on the Eve of His Latest Online Fair + Other Stories", Artnet News, June 16, 2020 — 1.1 MB
- Tessa Solomon, "ARTnews in Brief", ArtNews, June 15, 2020 — 1.1 MB
- Lucy Rees, "13 Artworks That Reflect This Time, According to Art World Luminaries" - Galerie Magazine - May 4, 2020 — 345.9 kB
- Judith Benhamou, 'Art market: speculation on figurative art, digital fatigue, and the growing power of Paris. No crash on the horizon for now ...’, Judith Benhamou reports, January 2021 — 1.7 MB
- Rafael Pic, ‘Perrotin, 5 étages pour le second marché ', Le Quotidien de l'Art, December 2020 — 1.0 MB
- Mark Westall, 'Almine Rech to open new gallery in Paris on Avenue Matignon', FAD Magazine, December 2020 — 214.0 kB
- Anna Sansom, ‘Pandemic Be Damned, 1-54 Has Kicked Off the 2021 Art Fair Calendar With a Pop-Up in Paris ', Artnet, January 2021 — 1.6 MB
- Roxana Azimi, 'L’avenue Matignon séduit le monde de l’art', Le Monde, January 2021 — 375.2 kB
- Roxana Azimi, 'Avenue Matignon, le nouveau haut lieu parisien du monde de l'art', Le Monde, January 2021 — 272.9 kB
- Désirée Maida, ‘Gallerie d'arte che non si arrendono. Almine Rech apre seconda sede a Parigi', Artribune, January 2021 — 793.4 kB
- Martin Betant, ‘"Vaxi Nation" : La galerie Almine Rech Matignon accueille sa première exposition signée par Kenny Scharf’, Luxe, January 2021 — 1.1 MB
- Joelle Diderich, ‘Almine Rech Bets on Paris With Second French Art Gallery’, WWD, January 2021 — 244.6 kB
- Joelle Diderich, ‘Almine Rech Bets on Paris With Second French Art Gallery', Yahoo! Life, January 2021 — 265.0 kB
- Press Review Marie Maertens , Actu Art,‘Exposition Peinture Contemporaine : Kenny SCHARF « Vaxi Nation »’, February 2021 — 3.2 MB
- Jason Rosenfeld, 'Kenny Scharf with Jason Rosenfeld', The Brooklyn Rail, June 2020 — 554.7 kB