Kenny Scharf

Kenny Scharf’s brightly colored creatures arrive at Madrid’s Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in an exhibition presented through its program devoted to the Blanca and Borja Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The Los Angeles-born artist emerged within New York’s East Village scene during the 1980s, developing a visual language he calls ‘Pop Surrealism.’

His fantastical figures draw on popular culture while taking on human expressions and personalities. The exhibition introduces a practice that moves beyond painting into everyday and public settings, reflecting Scharf’s longstanding interest in bringing art into contact with a wider audience. His saturated palette carries the same energy across these different forms.