Kenny Scharf (born 1958, United States) is an american artist. He lieves and works today in Los Angeles. He is associated with the East Village Art movement of the 1980s in New York. At the side of his mentor Andy Warhol and contemporaries such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, with whom he invented Street Art, a term and movement of the late 20th century, Kenny Scharf developed a distinctive and uniquely personal artistic style in both painting and sculpture. In his works there are always references to popular culture, such as cartoon characters from the Flintstones and Jetsons as well as imaginary anthropomorphic creatures. Through ecstatic compositions and a dazzling color palette, Kenny Scharf presents an immersive visual experience that is both intimate and fresh. Scharf’s multifaceted practice, which includes painting, sculpture, installations, murals, performance, and fashion, reflects his commitment to creating dynamic art forms that deconstruct existing artistic hierarchies and reflect the philosophy of pop artists. But Sharp’s artistic significance goes beyond the art historical terrain of Pop Art; instead, the artist coined the term “Pop Surrealist” to describe his unique practice. His inclusion in the Whitney Biennial in 1985 marked the beginning of his international phenomenon, a reputation that continues to flourish today.
The designer Kim Jones was able to win Kenny Scharf for a collaboration with Dior for the Dior Men Fall Collection 2021. For years now, the muti-entrepreneur Bernard Arnault has known how to combine fashion and art in a way that is profitable for both sides. Ebsnso became aware that Jose and Tico Mugrabi would integrate Kenny Scharf into their collection.
Exhibitions:
2026
29 Sep 2026 – 17 Jan 2027, Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain
2024
Kenny Scharf
13 Nov 2024 – 28 Feb 2025, The Brant Foundation, New York, USA.
2023
“Evolution Revolution” Journal Gallery NYC
“I’m Baaaak” with Cosmic Cavern #44 Nanzuka Gallery Tokyo
“I’m Baaaack” Sogetsu Museum Tokyo
Tennis Elbow at The Journal Gallery, New York, USA
2022
COSMIC SUMMER: Works by Kenny Scharf. Phillips Southampton, 1 July – 7 August 2022
2021
Earth September 03 — October 09, 2021 • Almine Rech Shanghai
Salon de Peinture April 29 — June 05, 2021 • Almine Rech New York
Retrouvailles April 17 — May 22, 2021 • Almine Rech Paris, Front Space
Un Hiver à Paris February 06 — February 27, 2021 • Almine Rech Paris, Turenne
Vaxi Nation January 21 — March 06, 2021 • Almine Rech Paris, Matignon
2020
Kenny Scharf : “Dystopian Painting” Almine Rech New York, NY. SEPT – OCT. 2020
Kenny Scharf : “Moodz” Jeffrey Deitch Los Angeles, CA. JULY – OCT. 2020
Group Exhibitions:
“The Shadow” Totah NYC
2019
Kenny Scharf : “Optimistically Melting” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles
Kenny Scharf : “Anxiously Optimistic” Baik Gallery Seoul Republic Of Korea
Kenny Scharf : “Universalis” La Nave Salinas Ibiza, Spain
Kenny Scharf : “Blue Blood” Totah NY. NY.
Kenny Scharf : “Viva Lo Vivo” After & Again Mexico City
Group Exhibitions:
“Beyond The Streets” Brooklyn, New York, NY.
“Fatherhood” Over the Influence Los Angeles, CA.
“Summer of ‘82” Curated by Dan Cameron Johannes Vogt NYC.
“Beyond The Streets” Brooklyn, NYC
“Fatherhood” Over the Influence Los Angeles, CA.
“Summer of ‘82” Curated by Dan Cameron Johannes Vogt NYC.
“Yesterday’s Tomorrowland Today a Xerox Show ” Curated by Ann Magnuson Winslow Garage Los Angeles, CA.
“Happy” NSU Art Museum FL. 10/19 – 7/20
“L.A. on Fire” Curated by Michael Slenske Wilding Cran Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Special Projects:
Mural at The Bluffs Playa Vista, Ca.
Mural at the City Club Minneapolis, MN.
2018
Kenny Scharf : “Super Pop Universe” Lotte Museum of Art Seoul Korea
Kenny Scharf : “Inner and Outer Space” Leila Heller Gallery Dubai
Kenny Scharf : “Scharftopia” The Far Out World of Kenny Scharf Gustavus College, MN.
Kenny Scharf : “Kenny Scharf” David Klien Gallery Detroit , MI.
Kenny Scharf : “Paradis Perdu” Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris
Group Exhibitions:
“Paper Trail” Allouche Gallery NY NY
“Polarities” Totah NY NY
“Auto didactic the Juxtapose School” Petersen Automotive Museum LA. CA.
“Warhol & Friends New York in the 80’s” Palazzo Albergati Italy
“Dancing Goddesses” Dio Horia Gallery Panahra Square , Mykonos Greece.
“Under One Roof”: Urban Nation Museum for Urban Contemporary Art, Berlin
Donald Baechler, Ross Bleckner, Enoc Perez & Kenny Scharf Inaugural Show Alloche Benais Athens
“Beyond The Streets” Curated by Roger Gastman Los Angeles, CA.
“Stand Still: A Still Life Show” Allouche Gallery NY NY
Special Projects:
“La Villa UGC” Cannes Mural
“Peanuts Murals” World Wide
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Mural
Denmark – Freetown Christiania Mural
2017
Kenny Scharf : “Blox and Bax” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles CA.
Kenny Scharf : “Inner and Outer Space” Jeffrey Deitch New York NY.
Group Exhibitions:
“Bombay Beach Biennale“ Curated by Lily Johnson White Salton Sea, CA .
“Animal Farm” Curated by Sadie Laska Brant Foundation Greenwich , CT.
“Fast Forward” Painting from the 1980’s. Whitney Museum of American Art NY NY.
“Club 57” Films, Performance and Art in the East Village 1978-1983 The Museum of Modern Art NYC .
Special Projects:
Frieze Fair New York : Spotlight Kenny Scharf NYC .
International Church of Cannabis Denver CO .
2016
Kenny Scharf : ” Kenny Scharf ” Nassau County Museum of Art Roslyn Harbor, NY .
Group Exhibitions:
“Around the World in 86 Days” Ludwig Forum Aachen , Aachen Germany
“A Selection of Works of the 80’s” Vito Schnabel Gallery St. Moritz
“Cosmic Connections” David Totah Gallery, NYC
“Piston Head 2 Artist Engage the Automobile” Venus Over Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA .
“Masters: Urban & Street Art” Galerie Laurent Strouk Paris
“The Neon Wilderness Voices from Los Angeles” The Conversation Berlin
“Muse” Galerie Hideout, Paris
“AftermodernisM” Neumann Wolfson Art, Watermilll NY.
“DESIRE” Curated by Diana Widmaier Picasso Gagosian & Deitch Art Basel Miami Beach, FL .
Special Projects:
Hammer Projects Lobby Mural Hammer Museum Los Angeles, CA.
2015
Kenny Scharf : “Born Again” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Kenny Scharf : “SCHOW” Frederic Snitzer Gallery Miami, FL.
Group Exhibitions:
“She Sells Seashells by the Seashore” Eric Firestone Gallery East Hampton, NY.
Special Projects:
Installation The Rose Bar Gramercy Park Hotel, New York, NY.
Cosmic Cavern # 33 Portland Art Museum Portland, OR.
Hammer Projects Lobby Mural Hammer Museum Los Angeles, CA.
“MALAGA” Permanent Mural Spain
2014
Kenny Scharf : “Pace Face” By Pace Prints NYC
Kenny Scharf : “Kenny Scharf ” Colette, Paris
Group Exhibitions:
“Urban Theater” : New York Art in the 1980’s The Modern Art Museum of Ft.Worth, TX.
“Fun and Games” : Montalvo Art Center Saratoga, CA.
“Saying Yes to Everything” : Honor Fraser Gallery Curated by Corrina Peipon Los Angeles, CA.
“LOISADA” : NY’s Lower East Side in the 80’s Addison Gallery Andover, MA.
“Appropriate Disruption” : Jacob Lewis Gallery NYC
Special Projects:
“COSMIGOGO” Textile design for Louis Vuitton
2013
Kenny Scharf : “Kolors” Paul Kasmin Gallery, NY. NY.
Kenny Scharf : “Amerikulture” Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY.
Kenny Scharf : “Pop Renaissance” Honor Fraser Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
“AREA THE EXHIBITION ” Curated by Jeffrey Deitch, Serge Becker, Eric Goode, Jennifer Goode & Glenn O’Brien . The Hole NYC.
“Artist Engage The Automobile” Pistonhead – Art Basel Miami Beach, Fl.
“Calligraffiti” Leila Heller Gallery NY. NY.
“Futures Project” Center for the Living Arts Mobile, Al.
“Contemporary Magic” Tarot Deck Art Project The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Fl.
“Virginia MOCA” Virginia Beach, VA.
Special Projects:
“Tonywood” The Wynwood Walls Memorial Garden, Miami, FL.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Whitewall Suite 5000 NY, NY.
“Back To Supersonica” Spray Painted 1960’s Lockeed Jetstar. Pima Air Museum, AZ.
Installation of “Squirtz” and ” Red Scary Guy ” at the Standard Hotel The Highline NY.
“MOBLOBZ” Monumental Mural on the Historic Center for the Living Arts Mobile, Al.
Mural installation Kings County Children’s Hospital Brooklyn, NY.
Mural: Davis Bros . Tires Los Angeles, CA.
2012
Kenny Scharf : “Hodgepodge” The Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
“Thank You Andy Warhol” Benrimon Contemporary, NY. NY.
“Times Square Show Revisited” Leubsdorf Gallery Hunter College NY. NY.
“Portrait of a Generation” The Hole Gallery NY. NY.
“All For You” Eric Firestone Gallery East Hampton, NY.
Special Projects:
“Kiehl’s” for Children’s Charity
“Jello Bacchanalia” Art Rio, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
“Chunk Pack” Cedars Sinai Children’s Wing , Los Angeles, CA.
Scharf Mural : Salem, MA .
Wynwood Walls , Miami, FL .
Mural: Careyes , Mexico.
2011
“Naturafutura” Paul Kasmin Gallery NY. NY.
Group Exhibitions:
“The Artist Museum” MOCA Los Angeles, CA.
“Art In The Streets” MOCA Los Angeles, CA.
“New York Minute” Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow.
“Facemaker” Curated by Kathy Grayson Royal-T, Culver City, CA.
“Unfinished Paintings” Contemporary Exhibitions Los Angeles , CA.
“Nose Job” Eric Firestone Gallery East Hampton, NY.
“East Village West” Royal T Lounge Los Angeles, CA.
“From Here to Eternity” Curated by Kenton Parker Scion Installation Space, Culver City, CA.
Special Projects:
“East Village West” Curated with Ann Magnuson, Royal T Lounge Los Angeles, CA.
Miami Marlins Arena Mural Miami, FL.
WeHo Walls: MOCA Public Library Mural West Hollywood, CA.
Arts Big Picture Project Philadelphia, PA.
Brooklyn Children’s Hospital Mural Brooklyn, NY.
2010
Group Exhibitions:
“Pause” Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, NV.
“Art Shack” Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach, CA.
“Mutant Pop” Loyal Gallery Malmo, Sweden
Special Projects:
“Bowery Wall” Mural NYC
2009
Kenny Scharf “Barberadise” Honor Fraser Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
“Wynwood Walls” Outdoor Mural Project produced by Deitch Projects Art Basel Miami, FL.
“Primary Flight” Site – specific Street Level Mural, Art Basel Miami, FL.
“Loveable Like Orphan Kitties and Bastard Children” Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
“Just What Are They Saying” Jonathan Ferrara Gallery New Orleans, LA.
“Nude Show” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY.
Special Projects:
“Stages Touring Exhibit” Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France.
Custom bike designed for “Lance Armstrong” ridden in the Tour de France
2008
Kenny Scharf: “Superdeluxa” Waddington Gallery, London, UK.
Kenny Scharf : “80’s Back” Seomi & Tuus, Seoul, Korea.
Group Exhibitions:
“Four Friends” Tony Shafrazi Gallery New York, NY.
“Totally Rad” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY.
“American Standard” Design District Miami Beach, FL.
“Juxtapose School” Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach CA.
“Zero Carat” Jewelry Friedman Benda Gallery New York, NY.
2007
Kenny Scharf: “NEW!” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY.
Group Exhibitions:
“Four Friends” Tony Shafrazi Gallery New York, NY.
“Art Parade” King of Parade Jeffrey Deitch New York, NY.
“Big Secret Cache” Angstrom Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
2006
Kenny Scharf “Astro Cumulo Nibus Uber Express” Raleigh Hotel Art Basel Miami Beach, FL.
Group Exhibitions:
“Surrealism Then and Now” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY.
“Juxtapose Anniversary” Copro Nason Culver City, CA.
2005
Kenny Scharf: “Superpop” Paul Kasmin Gallery New York, NY.
Kenny Scharf: “Outer Limits” Patrick Painter Gallery Santa Monica, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
Enjoy By: Bill Farroux, Venice, CA.
2004
Kenny Scharf: “Groovenian Drawings” Kantor Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Kenny Scharf: “Schablobz” Kenny Schachter/Rove New York, NY.
Kenny Scharf: “California Grown” Pasadena Museum of California Art Los Angeles, CA.
Kenny Scharf: “Face Value” Kevin Bruk Gallery Miami Beach, FL.
Group Exhibitions:
“East Village USA” New Museum of Contemporary Art New York, NY.
“Beginning Here: 101 Ways” Visual Arts Gallery New York, NY.
“100 Artists See Satan” Grand Central Art Center Santa Ana, CA.
Special Events:
Americans for the Arts Awards Installation, Cipriani’s New York, NY.
2003
Kenny Scharf: “Nightlight” Patrick Painter Gallery Santa Monica, CA.
Kenny Scharf: “Paintings 1990-1997” Cotthem Gallery Brussels, Belgium.
Group Exhibitions:
“Quest” Vincent Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam The Netherlands
“Splat, Boom, Pow” Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, TX.
“Portraits” Heidi Lee Fine Art New York, NY.
“Faces and Figures” The Art Museum at Florida International University Miami, FL.
“Beauty Stripped Bare / LA Black & White” BGH Gallery Santa Monica, CA.
2002
Kenny Scharf: “Muted” Chac Mool Gallery Los Angeles, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
“Made in the USA 1970-2000” Ludwig Galerie Oberhausen, Germany
“Pulcherrimae Strade” Installation Pordenone Italy.
“Juxtapose Anniversary Show” Track 16 Gallery Santa Monica, CA.
Special Events:
“The Groovenians” Animated Special aired on Cartoon Network
2001
Kenny Scharf: “Car Nation” UC Fullerton Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, CA.
Kenny Scharf: “Portraits” Tony Schafrazi Gallery New York, NY.
Kenny Scharf: “Hollywood Stars” Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions Los Angeles, CA.
Group Exhibitions:
“Seeing” Interactive Exhibition LACMA LAB Los Angeles, CA.
“Animations” P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center Long Island City, NY.
Special Projects:
Permanent Installation of Four, 30′ totems “Tikitotemoniki” Pearl Arts District Portland, OR.
2000
Kenny Scharf : Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills, CA.
Kenny Scharf : “Small Paintings & Bronzes” Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY.
Kenny Scharf : “Closet # 18” permanent exhibit Young at Art Children’s Museum, Davie, FL.
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 Dusseldorf, 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.
Special Projects:
MOCA Mural Project San Diego, CA
“Ultrazoomazipamapopdeluxa” lobby entrance
Designs line of Manikins for Pucci International
1997
Kenny Scharf : “Pop Surrealist” Salvador Dali Museum St. Petersburg, FL.
Kenny Scharf : “When Worlds Collide” curated by Barry
Blinderman, University Galleries Illinois State IL.
Kenny Scharf : “Kenny Scharf” Tony Shafrazi Gallery New York, NY.
Kenny Scharf : “Ultraelektrik” Paintings, Sculpture & Customized
Appliances, Sony Building New York, NY.
Group Exhibitions:
In Your Face Haring, Basquiat & Scharf Leo Malca Fine Art, New York.
Art and Provocation : Images from Rebels Boulder Museum of
Contemporary Art Boulder, Co.
1996
Kenny Scharf : New Work Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY.
Kenny Scharf : El Mundo de Kenny Scharf Museo de Art Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Mexico.
Kenny Scharf : Heads Center for the Fine Arts, Miami.
Kenny Scharf : Galerie 56 Budapest, Hungary.
Group Exhibitions:
New Figuration Tucson Museum of Art Tucson, Az.
Hot Off the Press: New Editions Pace Prints, NY
1995
Kenny Scharf : Early Paintings 1975-78 Yoshi Gallery NY. NY.
Kenny Scharf : Galerie Cotthem-Hedwig Van Impe, Knokke Belgium
Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. NY.
Kenny Scharf : Scharf-O-Rama 1978-1995 Museum of Art, Ft.Lauderdale Fl.
Group Exhibitions:
Altered and Irrational: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Whitney Museum, NY.
Art, Design and Barbie Liberty Street Gallery, NY.
Recent Acquisitions Bass Museum of Art, Miami Fl.
Art + Architecture,MIAMI, Center for Contemporary Art , Miami.
A New York Time:Selected Drawings from the Eighties Bruce Museum , Greenwich, CT.
1994
Kenny Scharf : Wildlife Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY. NY.
1993
Kenny Scharf : Works on Paper , Galerie Burkhard R Eikelmann, Dusseldorf.
Kenny Scharf : Closet #11, Cafe Click, Dusseldorf
Kenny Scharf : Closet # 10 World Gallery Miami, Fl.
Group Exhibitions:
About Nature Cleveland Center for Contemporary Artr, Cleveland, OH.
Art and Environment National Arts Club, NYC.
Extravagant: The Economy of Elegance Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY, Russisches
Kulturzentrum, Berlin.
1982-83: Ten Years After Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY.
1992
Kenny Scharf : Edward Totah Gallery
Kenny Scharf : Galeria Rocca 6, Torino, Italy.
Kenny Scharf : Galeria Seno, Milan.
Group Exhibitions:
1492 Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Monterrey, Mexico.
Variations Gitanes Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris.
Objets Trouves Galerie de Jour, Agnes B. Paris.
Balade de l’Amour Halle de l’Uniondes arts Decoratifs, Palais de Louvre, Paris.
1991
Kenny Scharf : Tony Shafrazi Gallery NY.
Kenny Scharf : Studio Trisorio, Naples, Italy.
Kenny Scharf : AC&T Corporation, Tokyo.
Kenny Scharf : Galerie Hans Mayer, Dusseldorf
Kenny Scharf : Akira Ikeda Gallery, Tokyo
Group Exhibitions:
American Art of the ’80’s Palazzo delle Albere, Trento, Italy.
Closet #9 Queens Museum of Art, Flushing NY.
Just What is it That Makes Todays Home So Different,So Appealing Hyde Collection, NY.
The 1980’s: A Selected View from the Permanent Collection, Whitney Museum, NY.
1990
Kenny Scharf : Galerie Beaubourg, Paris.
Group Exhibitions:
The Last Decade: American Artists of the ’80’s Tony Shafrazi Gallery, NY.
1989
Kenny Scharf : Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS:
THE BASS MUSEUM OF ART, MIAMI BEACH
BRANT FOUNDATION, GREENWICH, CONN.
THE DANNHEISER FOUNDATION, NEW YORK CITY
THE BROAD FOUNDATION, LOS ANGELES
GRONIGER MUSEUM, GRONIGER, HOLLAND
THE JEWISH MUSEUM, NEW YORK CITY
LUDWIG MUSEUM, COLOGNE, GERMANY
MIAMI ART MUSEUM, MIAMI, FLORIDA
MUSEO D ARTE CONTEMPORANEO DE MONTERREY, MONTERREY MEXICO
MUSEU DE ARTE MODERNA, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, SAN DIEGO
MUSEUM OF MODERN ART NEW YORK
NEW ENGLAND CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART, BROOKLYN, CONNECTICUT
PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART
PATERSON MUSEUM, PATERSON, NEW JERSEY
PATRICK LANNAN FOUNDATION, LOS ANGELES
PEARL ARTS FOUNDATION PORTLAND, OREGON
SAN FRANCISCO MUSEUM OF MODERN ART
SOGETSU MUSEUM, TOKYO
STEDELIJK MUSEUM AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART NEW YORK
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