Kenny Scharf (b. 1958)
Biography
Kenny Scharf was born in 1958, in Hollywood, California. The artist received his BFA in 1980 at the School of Visual Arts located in New York City. Scharf’s works consist of popular culture based shows with made up science related backgrounds. Scharf uses popular images that he grew up watching, such as the Flintstones and the Jetsons. The reason Scharf uses cartoon images in his art work is to bring popular culture in the fine arts. Scharf wants to see how far he can push the line between high and low art. Scharf to this day is making art work that makes the viewers think about where the line is and how far has the artist pushed it.
“My ambition as a professional artist is to maintain the course that I set nearly 30 years ago by establishing my work in the fields of painting, sculpture, and performance. Every project I undertake is building on my past experiences. My original approach is unchanged; it is a personal challenge to produce the best work possible every time. One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of fine art and connect to popular culture through my art.
My personal ambition has always been to live the example. I believe the artist has a social responsibility to engage others in a thought process that ultimately brings art into everyday life thereby enhancing the quality of our experience.” -Kenny Scharf
Kenny Scharf was born in 1958, in Hollywood, California. The artist received his BFA in 1980 at the School of Visual Arts located in New York City. Scharf’s works consist of popular culture based shows with made up science related backgrounds. Scharf uses popular images that he grew up watching, such as the Flintstones and the Jetsons. The reason Scharf uses cartoon images in his art work is to bring popular culture in the fine arts. Scharf wants to see how far he can push the line between high and low art. Scharf to this day is making art work that makes the viewers think about where the line is and how far has the artist pushed it.
“My ambition as a professional artist is to maintain the course that I set nearly 30 years ago by establishing my work in the fields of painting, sculpture, and performance. Every project I undertake is building on my past experiences. My original approach is unchanged; it is a personal challenge to produce the best work possible every time. One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of fine art and connect to popular culture through my art.
My personal ambition has always been to live the example. I believe the artist has a social responsibility to engage others in a thought process that ultimately brings art into everyday life thereby enhancing the quality of our experience.” -Kenny Scharf