A contemporary, and friend of both Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat later in New York, Kenny Scharf was born in 1958 in Los Angeles. He received his B.F.A in 1980 at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Scharf's works consist of popular culture based shows with made up science-related backgrounds.
Scharf often uses images from the animated cartoons popular during his childhood, such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons. In 2001, he released a cartoon of his own ‘The Groovenians’ of which there was only one episode.
Scharf was a key figure in the East Village art scene of the 1980s with shows at Fun gallery in 1981 and Tony Shafrazi in 1984, before seeing his work embraced by museums, such as the Whitney, which selected him for the 1985 Whitney Bienniale.
He did the album covers of The B-52's in the mid-80s. In 1995, Scharf designed a room at the Tunnel nightclub in New York.
Scharf was friends with the graffiti artist Keith Haring and appears in the documentary ‘The Universe of Keith Haring’. In 2004, he appeared in The Nomi Song, a documentary about his friend, opera singer and new wave star Klaus Nomi.
Scharf has had featured exhibits at the Monterrey Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami Center for the Fine Arts, and The Queens Museum of Art. Scharf is represented by New York City’s Paul Kasmin Gallery, which also represents Andy Warhol, Frank Stella, David Hockney, Morris Louis, Al Held, and others.
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1983 Architoungture |
1983 The Fun's Inside
1983 The Idea Falls
1983-84 Juicy Jungle
1984 The Days of Our Lives
1984 When Worlds Collide
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1985 Glip Drip |
1985 Op Bop
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1986 Blind |
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1986 Faika Rebo |
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1987 Inner Space |
1988 Obglob
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1989 American Cheese |
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1989 Ob Globs #11 |
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1990 Brainmatter |
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1990 Globz 3 |
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1991 Against All Odds |
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1991 Kaosorder |
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1994 Globulecular |
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1994 Serpentwine |
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1995 Fabuvalia |
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1995 Galicksky |
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1996 Bloop Blip Bop |
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1996 Boomering |
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1996 Hapidala |
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1997 Glips |
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1998 Ancient Chinese Secret |
1998 Felix on a Pedestal
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2000 Bolbz |
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2000 Slosch |
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2002 Drlop |
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2002 Jelobz |
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2003 Blobzo |
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2003 Objet der Floate |
2003 Squabs
2003 Zrobz
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2004 Balls n' Black Hole |
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2004 Space n' Blob |
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2005 Ebony Approved |
2005 Free Fuel
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2005 T.V.Starlacash |
2006 Ketchup (detail)
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2006 Peas n' Butter |
2006 Pump N' Go
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2007 Blobs n' Globs |
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2007 Blurple |
2007 Sonho Molhado
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2008 Chevyblobs |
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2008 Greewormscape |
2008 Hot Dog
2008 Hurdy Gurdy
2008 Smiling Spermy Spiralies
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2009 Blobism |
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2009 Junglocity |
2009 Nike Stages
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2009 Pink Frosted Donut in Space |
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2010 Chocolate Donut with Sprinkes on a Lovely Day |
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2010 Glazed Cruller in Space |
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2010 Here it is! |
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2010 Jungleyea |