Skip to main content
Questions & Answers
Our trusted network of 1stDibs sellers answer common questions

What is Kenny Scharf known for?

1 Answer
What is Kenny Scharf known for?
Kenny Scharf, who coined the term “Pop Surrealist”, is known for pioneering street art and for his numerous references to pop culture and cartoon characters in his work. His art is exciting and colorful, creating an immersive experience for the viewer. Find original Kenny Scharf art on 1stDibs.
1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
Shop for Kenny Scharf Art on 1stDibs
Kenny Scharf - Val Wong Worm, dazzling unique signed Painting, Framed Provenance
By Kenny Scharf
Located in New York, NY
Kenny Scharf Val Wong Worm, 2006 Oil, acrylic, silkscreen and rhinestones on paper Signed, dated and titled by the artist on the die-cut window on the back Frame Included: elegantly ...
Category

Early 2000s Pop Art Abstract Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media, Oil, Acrylic, Screen

Kenny Scharf, Archival pigment print on 290 gsm Entrada Rag paper, signed 16/100
By Kenny Scharf
Located in New York, NY
Kenny Scharf Boys and Girls, 2023 Archival pigment print on 290 gsm Entrada Rag paper Signed dated and numbered 16/100 in graphite pencil on the front 15 × 38 inches Unframed In 202...
Category

2010s Pop Art Abstract Prints

Materials

Archival Pigment

Kenny Scharf - Absolut Vodka hand signed, edition of 200, LARGE lithograph Lt Ed
By Kenny Scharf
Located in New York, NY
Kenny Scharf Absolut Scharf for Absolut Vodka, 1987 Lithograph with offset lettering in colors on wove paper Hand signed and dated by artist on lower right front Limited Edition of 2...
Category

1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Kenny Scharf - Bad Girls, Signed 9 color lithograph, Pop Art, PP, museum Framed
By Kenny Scharf
Located in New York, NY
Kenny Scharf - Bad Girls Printed by 1989 AC&T, Japan (extremely scarce stateside) Lithograph done with 9 colors and 10 plates on Velin Arches Blanc paper Hand signed and numbered...
Category

1980s Pop Art Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Unique Surfboard
By Kenny Scharf
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Kenny Scharf Title: Unique Surfboard Size: 195.6 x 50.8 x 6.4 cm. (77 x 20 x 2 1/2 in.) Medium: Spray Paint on Surf Board Edition: Unique Original 1 of 12 Year: 2021 Notes: Signed and numbered 'Tim Bessell 1/12 Kenny Scharf' on the reverse. Kenny Scharf is a legendary American artist who was a pioneer in the iconic 1980s East Village street art scene in New York. Together with artists such as Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Scharf helped spearhead the aesthetics of the era, co-authoring arguably the most essential chapter in street art history by positioning it as an equal player on the contemporary art world’s main stage. Today, the Californian is widely recognised as one of the most important figures in the ‘Lowbrow Pop Surrealism’ art movement, which is characterised by abstract imagery merging with dreamy cartoon characters, and is rooted in comics, punk music, and graffiti and street culture. Like many other children growing up during Pop Art's cultural boom in the 1960s, Scharf was greatly impacted by images of popular and commercial culture that permeated and shaped American collective consciousness. But, unlike other kids, Scharf's interests went beyond clipping out photographs from magazines to stick on his bedroom wall. Instead, he found joy in finding expression on the streets, where, with a spray paint can in hand, he could share his unique, Day-Glo, psychedelic pictures with the public. In his works, Scharf employs a range of techniques, media and allusions to create hallucinatory compositions bursting with bright colours, bold patterns, and dreamlike metaphors, featuring a host of anthropomorphic creatures, extraterrestrial beings, and comic book motifs. A UNIQUE STATEMENT AGAINST MARINE POLLUTION In 2012, Scharf decided to take his practice one step further by working on a unique partnership with Parley – a group and platform raising awareness about the major threats towards our oceans, which are the most important ecosystem of our planet. As Scharf explained, ‘I am obsessed with plastic in our oceans and I jumped at the chance to do anything with other people that are also sharing that obsession.’ Parley’s Global Cleanup Network has a special focus on protecting the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico where the group have been active since 2017, and where Scharf himself has spent numerous years. Scharf created a small group of only twelve individually painted...
Category

2010s Street Art Paintings

Materials

Spray Paint

Kenny Scharf - Lt. Ed. Hand Signed and dated skateboard deck skate deck with COA
By Kenny Scharf
Located in New York, NY
This is a scarce screenprint on high gloss painted wooden skateboard created in a limited edition of only 100 Hand signed and dated 2009 by Kenny Scharf This work was sold exclusive...
Category

Early 2000s Pop Art More Art

Materials

Plywood, Screen

Shop All