Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

. Scharf's

do-it-yourself "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and se ...

practice spanned painting, sculpture, fashion, video,

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

, and

street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

. Growing up in post-World War II Southern California, Scharf was fascinated by television and the futuristic promise of modern design. His works often includes pop culture icons, such as

the Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their nex ...

and

the Jetsons ''The Jetsons'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced f ...

, or caricatures of middle-class Americans in an apocalyptic science fiction setting.

Life and career

Born in Los Angeles, Scharf moved to Manhattan, earning a BFA in painting at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in 1980. In the East Village of the 1980s, Scharf began his trademark Cosmic Caverns, immersive

black light A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave ( UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a se ...

and Day-Glo paint installations that also function as ongoing disco parties. The first was known as the "Cosmic Closet" and was installed in 1981 in the Times Square apartment he shared with Keith Haring. They exhibited together a six minutes video called "The Sparkle End" (1980) in the landmark 1980

Collaborative Projects Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

exhibition ''

The Times Square Show ''The Times Square Show'' was an influential collaborative, self-curated, and self-generated art exhibition held by New York artists' group Colab (aka Collaborative Projects, Inc) in Times Square in a shuttered massage parlor at 201 W. 41st and ...

.'' During this period, Scharf also had important shows at Fun Gallery (1981) and

Tony Shafrazi Tony Shafrazi (born May 8, 1943), is an American art dealer, gallery owner, and artist. He is the owner of the ''Shafrazi Art Gallery'' in New York City who deals artwork by artists such as Francis Bacon, Keith Haring, and David LaChapelle. Earl ...

(1983, 1984, 1985), before seeing his work embraced by museums, such as the Whitney, which selected him for the 1985

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition ...

. Art scribe Demetria Daniels writing in Downtown Magazine said about his work that it... "leaves you with hope, joy, play and optimism, and a sense of love...." From then his career took off and he had international exhibitions such as with Galerie

Bruno Bischofberger Bruno Bischofberger (born 1940) is a Swiss art dealer and collector. Life Bischofberger was born in 1940 in Zürich. He studied art history, archaeology and ethnography (folk art) at the University of Zurich, with further studies at the univ ...

, Zurich (1985) or Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo (1986, 1988). In 1987, Scharf designed a swing carousel for

André Heller Franz André Heller (; born 22 March 1947 as Francis Charles Georges Jean André Heller-Hueart) is an Austrian artist, author, poet, singer, songwriter and actor. Biography Heller was born in Vienna into a wealthy Jewish family of sweets manufac ...

's ''

Luna Luna Luna Luna was a German rock band from Recklinghausen, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most popu ...

'', an ephemeral amusement park in Hamburg with rides designed by renowned contemporary artists. In 2015/2016 Scharf had a one-person exhibition at the Hammer Museum. And, in 2017, he mounted "BLOX and BAX", his latest one-person exhibition at Honor Fraser Gallery in Los Angeles (his fifth with the gallery). Also in 2017 his work was featured in the large group exhibition "Fast Forward: Painting From the 1980s" at the Whitney Museum. Scharf's work was included in the October 2017 exhibition "Club 57: Film, Performance, and Art in the East Village, 1978–1983" at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...

in New York. Other one-person exhibitions of Scharf's work have been presented at the

Nassau County Museum of Art The Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) is located east of New York City on the former Frick "Clayton" Estate, a property in Roslyn Harbor in the heart of Long Island’s Gold Coast. The main museum building, named in honor of art collectors a ...

, Roslyn, NY (2016);

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum bec ...

, Portland, OR (2015); Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA (2004); Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles (2001); Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, OR (1999); Salvador Dalí Museum, Saint Petersburg, FL (1997); University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, IL (1997); Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey, Mexico (1996); and Museum of Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, FL (1995). His public artworks are on view at

ArtCenter College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred ...

, Pasadena, CA; Cross Bronx Expressway on Third Avenue, Bronx, NY; Houston Street and Bowery, New York, NY; Norfolk Street, New York, NY; Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA; West Adams Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA; West Hollywood Public Library, West Hollywood, CA; and many other locations around the world. His work is included in public collections such as the Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL; The Jewish Museum, New York, NY; Ludwig Museum, Cologne, Germany; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Monterrey, Mexico; Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Sogetsu Museum, Tokyo, Japan; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY. Scharf is also known for welcoming collaborations with popular culture and merchandising opportunities. He designed the cover art for the 1986 B-52's album '' Bouncing Off the Satellites'' and created the 2002 pilot for '' The Groovenians'' for

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

on the Cartoon Network. He has appeared in the documentaries ''

The Universe of Keith Haring ''The Universe of Keith Haring'' is a 2008 documentary by the filmmaker Christina Clausen about the artist Keith Haring. In the film, the legacy of Haring is resurrected through colorful archival footage and remembered by friends and admirers such ...

'' and ''

The Nomi Song ''The Nomi Song'' is a 2004 Documentary film about the life of singer Klaus Nomi, written and directed by Andrew Horn. The film debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2004, where it won a Teddy Award for "Best Documentary ...

'', about his friend, opera singer

Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Villag ...

, as well as 2016's Kenny Scharf's World: ART/New York No. 69 by Paul Tschinkel. In 2014, he also collaborated on an accessories line with art consultant

Maria Gabriela Brito María Gabriela Brito (born 1976) is a Venezuelan-born curator, art advisor, and author based in New York City. Her published works include ''How Creativity Rules The World'' published by HarperCollins in 2022, ''Out There: Design, Art, Travel S ...

. 2020

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds 42.36% shar ...

luxury fashion house presents a new collection in partnership with Kenny Scharf.

Solo exhibitions (selected)

2020 “Dystopian Painting” Almine Rech New York, NY. “Moodz”

Jeffrey Deitch Jeffrey Deitch (pronounced ''DIE-tch'';Mike Boehm (January 12, 2010)L.A.'s MOCA picks art dealer Jeffrey Deitch as director'' Los Angeles Times''. born 1952) is an American art dealer and curator. He is best known for his gallery Deitch Projec ...

Los Angeles, CA. JULY – OCT. 2020 2019 “Optimistically Melting” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles “Anxiously Optimistic” Baik Gallery Seoul Republic Of Korea "Universalis” La Nave Salinas Ibiza, Spain 2018 “Super Pop Universe” Lotte Museum of Art Seoul Korea “Kenny Scharf” David Klein Gallery Detroit, MI. “Paradis Perdu” Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris 2017 “Blox and Bax” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles CA. “Inner and Outer Space” Jeffrey Deitch New York NY. 2016 ” Kenny Scharf ” Nassau County Museum of Art Roslyn Harbor, NY . 2015 “Born Again” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA. “SCHOW” Frederic Snitzer Gallery Miami, FL. 2014 “Pace Face” By Pace Prints NYC “Kenny Scharf ” Colette, Paris 2013 “Kolors” Paul Kasmin Gallery, NY. NY. “Amerikulture” Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY. Kenny Scharf : “Pop Renaissance” Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. 2012 “Hodgepodge” The Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA. 2011 “Naturafutura” Paul Kasmin Gallery NY. NY. 2009 “Barberadise” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA. 2008 “Superdeluxa” Waddington Gallery, London, UK. “80’s Back” Seomi & Tuus, Seoul, Korea. 2007 “NEW!” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY. 2005 “Superpop” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY. “Outer Limits” Patrick Painter Gallery Santa Monica, CA. 2004 “Groovenian Drawings” Kantor Gallery Los Angeles, CA. Kenny Scharf: “California Grown” Pasadena Museum of California Art Los Angeles, CA. 2003 Kenny Scharf: “Nightlight” Patrick Painter Gallery Santa Monica, CA. 2002 “Muted” Chac Mool Gallery Los Angeles, CA. 2001 Kenny Scharf: “Portraits” Tony Schafrazi Gallery New York, NY. “Hollywood Stars” Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Los Angeles, CA. 2000 Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills, CA. Kenny Scharf : “Small Paintings & Bronzes” Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY. 1999 “Heads, Small Paintings and Closet # 16” Galerie Hans Mayer Berlin, Germany. Kenny Scharf : “New Sculpture” PICA-Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Portland, OR. “Heads and Small Paintings” Galerie Hans Mayer Düsseldorf, Germany. 1998 “Kenny Scharf” Galerie Ramis Barquet Monterrey, Mexico “Kenny Scharf” McIntosh Gallery Atlanta, GA. “Kenny Scharf” Kantor Gallery Los Angeles, CA. “Kenny Scharf” Tony Shafrazi Gallery New York, NY. 1997 “Pop Surrealist” Salvador Dalí Museum St. Petersburg, FL. “When Worlds Collide” curated by Barry “Kenny Scharf” Tony Shafrazi Gallery New York, NY. “Ultraelektrik” Paintings, Sculpture & Customized 1996 New Work Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. El Mundo de Kenny Scharf Museo de Art Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Mexico. Kenny Scharf : Heads Center for the Fine Arts, Miami. 1995 Kenny Scharf : Early Paintings 1975-78 Yoshii Gallery NY. NY. Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. NY. 1994 Kenny Scharf : Wildlife Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. NY. 1993 Kenny Scharf : Works on Paper, Galerie Burkhard R Eikelmann, Düsseldorf. 1992 Kenny Scharf : Edward Totah Gallery 1991 Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. Kenny Scharf : Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo 1990 Kenny Scharf : Galerie Beaubourg, Paris. 1989 Kenny Scharf : Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles. 1988 Kenny Scharf : Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo. 1987 Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY. 1986 Kenny Scharf : Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo. 1985 Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY. Kenny Scharf : Galerie

, Zurich. Group Exhibitions: Biennial 1984 Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art, NY. 1984 Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY. Kenny Scharf :

Gagosian Gagosian is a contemporary art gallery owned and directed by Larry Gagosian. The gallery exhibits some of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. There are 16 gallery spaces: five in New York City; three in London; two in P ...

Gallery, Los Angeles. 1983 Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY. Kenny Scharf : American Graffiti Gallery, Amsterdam. 1982 Kenny Scharf : Fun Gallery, NY. 1981 Kenny Scharf : National Studio Artists P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center Kenny Scharf : Customized Appliances Club 57, NY. Kenny Scharf : The Jetsons Fun Gallery, NY. Group Exhibitions:

Times Square, New York City

References

External links

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Kenny Scharf talks to the Art Newspaper.tv at the Armory Show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scharf, Kenny 1958 births Living people 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Painters from California Artists from Los Angeles 20th-century American male artists