Kenny Scharf was born in 1958 in Los Angeles and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He was raised on television, cartoons and the technological optimism of the 1960s. The Jetsons and The Flintstones, families of the future and the Stone Age, would become recurring figures in his work.
In 1978, he moved to New York to study at the School of Visual Arts. He then graduated in 1980. There he met Keith Haring, with whom he shared an apartment for a time. He also became one of the driving forces of Club 57, a venue for parties, performances and exhibitions. The spirit of the East Village was forged there. He also befriended Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 1980, he took part in the Times Square Show, a defining exhibition for his generation.
Scharf quickly established a world overflowing with energy. His canvases filled with smiling creatures, blobs, planets and cartoon characters. They thus live in cosmic landscapes of fluorescent color. This blend of popular culture, science fiction and surrealism made him a pioneer of Pop Surrealism. Yet behind the exuberance lie very real concerns. Overconsumption, pollution, the nuclear threat and the future of the planet trouble him.
His work readily spills beyond the painting. From the early 1980s, he “customized” everyday objects. Televisions, telephones and household appliances were then covered with paint and plastic trinkets. His Cosmic Caverns are immersive black-light environments. Indeed, they turn the exhibition space into a psychedelic nightclub. He also paints cars, the Karbombz. Moreover, he has created many murals, including the Houston Bowery Wall in New York in 2010.
Kenny Scharf showed at Fun Gallery and Tony Shafrazi Gallery. Then, in 1985, he took part in the Whitney Biennial. In the mid-1980s, his stays in Brazil enriched his palette and his taste for lush nature. Since then his work has been exhibited worldwide. It is also held in major public and private collections.
Now living in Los Angeles again, Kenny Scharf is one of the last great figures of the 1980s New York scene. His friends Haring and Basquiat are gone. He continues to blur the lines between high art and popular culture, between studio and street. His inventiveness remains intact. His graffiti and Karbombz show that he has never stopped painting in public space.
In 2024, Galerie Enrico Navarra presented a first in France at Villa Navarra in Le Muy. The exhibition was devoted exclusively to his works on paper and accompanied by a booklet. This group of twenty-six works reveals the freedom of his line and the vitality of his imagination.
First exhibition in France exclusively dedicated to the works on paper by the artist Kenny Scharf at Villa Navarra in Le Muy. All created this year for this occasion. On view from May 23 to June 30, 2024, by appointment only.
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