Through her contemporary large-scale paintings and Pop art-influenced figurative sculptures, artist Nina Chanel Abney explores a diverse range of subjects, from race, religion and politics to celebrity, sex and art history. Abney describes her art’s effect as “information overload balanced with a kind of spontaneous order” — a representation of life in the 21st century.
Abney was born in 1982 in Harvey, Illinois, a Chicago suburb where, as a child, she would draw characters from the cartoons she watched on television. She later studied studio art and computer science at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Parsons School of Design in New York.
A painting from her master’s thesis titled Class of 2007, in which she depicts her white classmates as Black inmates and herself as a white prison guard, was included in the traveling exhibition “30 Americans”. The show featured the works of 30 notable African American artists and premiered at the Rubell Museum in 2008. In 2017, Abney’s first solo museum exhibition, “Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush,” was presented at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in North Carolina. The show traveled to the Chicago Cultural Center, Los Angeles’s Institute of Contemporary Art, the California African American Museum and the Neuberger Museum of Art in New York.
Although Abney is best known for her vividly colorful, cartoonish paintings, she has also gained recognition for her abstract and still-life sculptures. These include her limited-edition resin and vinyl Baby (2020) figures, which reimagine Mickey Mouse as a man dressed in a bright red jumpsuit and feature a geometric silhouette reminiscent of Cubism.
Abney has recently taken on several commercial ventures. In 2021, she was commissioned by the rapper Meek Mill to design the cover art for his album Expensive Pain. In 2022, she collaborated with Nike to design the Air Jordan 2 Low sneaker. Abney also created a series of UNO playing cards for Mattel featuring her artwork as part of Pharrell Williams’s Black Ambition non-profit initiative.
Abney’s works are in collections around the world, including the Bronx Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Rubell Family Collection and the Burger Collection in Hong Kong.
On 1stDibs, find a range of Nina Chanel Abney’s sculptures, prints and more art.
Baby -- Sculpture Figure, Pop Art by Nina Chanel Abney Pop Art Street Art Kids
By Nina Chanel Abney
Located in Draper, UT
ADDITIONAL INFO AllRightsReserved has tapped Nina Chanel Abney for a vinyl figure titled Baby. The New York-based artist has been known for her use of sym...
Vinyl
$395
H 11 in W 5 in
Warhol Basquiat Be@rbrick 400% figure (Basquiat Warhol Bearbrick)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Andy Warhol Jean-Michel Basquiat Bearbrick Vinyl Figures: (400% & 100%): A unique, timeless collectible trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat & And...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED Companion (KAWS black Separated Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED COMPANION: New & unopened in its original packaging: This highly collectible black KAWS SEPARATED figure is derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger scale s...
Resin, Vinyl
$888
H 7.09 in W 7.09 in D 5.12 in
"Sweetness" – Contemporary Pop Sculpture in Foam Clay and Enamel on Wood, 2022
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
SWEETNESS is a contemporary pop sculpture by Vera Vizzi combining foam clay, enamel, acrylic markers and fir wood into a compact, whimsical composition. Measuring 18 × 18 × 13 cm, th...
Enamel
$423
H 5.52 in W 3.35 in D 2.37 in
Drops of Joy Pop Surrealist Clay Juice Carton Sculpture in Acrylic Paint about
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Small-scale clay sculpture in acrylic explores consumption through a juice-carton object, pairing sugar and pill imagery within a snowy emotional landscape. This hand-modeled clay sc...
Clay, Acrylic
Mr. Dob
By Takashi Murakami
Located in London, GB
Mr. Dob, 2016 Edition of 750 Signature Stamped by artist's estate, Stamped by BAIT X Switch Series Mr. Dob Manufacturer ComplexCon Bait. Takashi Murakami’s Mr DOB sculpture toy is a...
Acrylic, Vinyl
$1,869
H 18.9 in W 6.3 in D 3.15 in
Mr Stick Pop Surrealist Colorful Geometric Painted Steel Figurative Sculpture
By Héctor Francesch
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Colorful geometric painted steel sculpture with stylized figurative forms and playful contemporary graphic language. Kubik is a contemporary steel sculpture by Héctor Francesch from...
Steel
KAWS MONSTER (KAWS Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Frankenberry Monster: A highly collectible & super decorative KAWS art toy, featuring the famed cereal character: Frankenberry. A playful exploration of KAWS’s love for thi...
Resin, Vinyl
$1,869
H 16.54 in W 8.67 in D 3.15 in
Kubik Colorful Geometric Figurative Painted Steel Contemporary Sculpture
By Héctor Francesch
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Colorful geometric painted steel sculpture with stylized figurative forms and playful contemporary graphic language. Kubik is a contemporary steel sculpture by Héctor Francesch from...
Steel
$1,000
H 10.6 in W 5.2 in
Small Lie (Brown), Limited Edition Companion in original packaging with hologram
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
KAWS Small Lie (Brown), Limited Edition Companion, 2017 Vinyl and Paint. Stated limited edition, exact number unknown. Brand new in original packaging Among KAWS’s signature “Compani...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Along The Way Grey (grey KAWS Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Along The Way (Grey). New and unopened in its original box: This highly collectible KAWS Along The Way figure is a rendition of the artist's 2013 18 foot wood sculpture origina...
Resin, Vinyl
$725
H 11 in W 5 in
Warhol Basquiat Bearbrick 400% figures set of 2 (Warhol Basquiat Be@rbrick)
By Jean-Michel Basquiat
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Basquiat Andy Warhol Bearbrick 400% figures: Set of two works: Unique, timeless collectibles trademarked & licensed by the Estates of Jean-Michel Basquiat & Andy Warhol. The ...
Resin, Vinyl
$3,905
H 31 in W 27 in
Lilac Hydrangea Glitch - Abstract Vibrant Mixed Media Surreal Sculptural Artwork
By Kate Tova
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vibrant, large-scale multimedia artworks incorporate reflective mediums and thick textures in Kate Tova's recent work. Colors splash across the page melding into flourishes of sequin...
Gold Leaf
Sold
H 26.3 in W 8.5 in D 7.4 in
'Baby' by Nina Chanel All Rights Reserved Hong Kong Sculpture Kids Contemporary
By Nina Chanel Abney
Located in Draper, UT
'Baby' by Nina Chanel All Rights Reserved Hong Kong Sculpture , 2020 Vinyl 26 3/10 × 8 1/5 × 7 3/10 in 66.8 × 20.8 × 18.5 cm Edition of 1000 AllRightsRese...
Vinyl