Mark Ryden, The Gay 90's (Hand signed by Mark Ryden), 2013

Mark Ryden

The Gay 90's (Hand signed by Mark Ryden), 2013

Hardback monograph (hand signed by Mark Ryden)

Boldy signed by Mark Ryden

12 1/4 × 9 1/4 × 1 inches

Unframed

This elegant hardback monograph with illustrated covers and no dust jacket, as issued, was signed by the artist for the present owner at the exhibition "Mark Ryden: Dodecahedron" at the Paul Kasmin Gallery on December 10, 2015.
It makes an excellent gift!

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rizzoli; First Edition (April 16, 2013)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 146 pages with color illustrations

Publisher's blurb:
Celebrated Pop Surrealist artist Mark Ryden’s newest body of work, presented in this book for the first time. Crowned "the high prince of Lowbrow," Mark Ryden has become a fixture of the contemporary alternative art movement. In his newest work, Mark Ryden: The Gay 90’s, the artist casts his skewed perspective toward the turn of the nineteenth century with such creepy yet beautiful works as a portrait of Abraham Lincoln dressed in foppish 1890s fashion and surrounded with a heavenly nimbus, Jesus Christ playing a pink piano for an audience of kewpie triplet girls, and a Gibson girl in a tight corset constructed entirely of meat. With masterful painting technique and disquieting content, Ryden’s newest paintings display his fascination with the earnest kitsch found in popular art of the end of the 1800s, yet reinforces how his paintings now more than ever are a skewering of both historical and current pop cultural touchstones. Ryden’s visual cues range from cryptic to cute, balancing his compositions between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. This book showcases his talent for creating paintings that marry accessibility and technique with visceral resonance and sociocultural relevance, making it easy to see why he garners the ardent attention of museums, critics, and serious collectors alike.

Editorial Reviews
"... the artist's provocative sketches, sculptures and paintings toy with our preconceptions of societal and historical norms by mixing incongruous styles, objects and figures while bringing those uncomfortable paradoxes to the forefront of our consciousness. Suited for those both familiar with Ryden's work and those who are just getting acquainted, this book directs us to the crux of what makes Ryden's work so delectable, its ability to bring together disparate things and create something that showcases both the beauty and the darkness of those encounters." ~coolhunting

..an excellent opportunity to investigate what all the Mark Ryden hype is about … for both dedicated fans and newcomers to the weird world of Ryden." ~Typo-Graphical

About Mark Ryden:
Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, "Pop Surrealism", dragging a host of followers in his wake. Ryden has advanced from the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotations.

Ryden's vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine line between nostalgic cliché and resonating archetypes. Seduced by his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at deeper psychic stuff beneath the surface of cultural kitsch. In Ryden's world, cherubic girls rub elbows with strange and mysterious figures. Ornately carved frames lend the paintings a baroque exuberance that adds gravity to their enigmatic themes.

Mark Ryden received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a career-spanning retrospective "Cámara de las Maravillas" at The Centro de Arte Contemporáneo of Málaga, as well as an earlier retrospective "Wondertoonel" at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art. In 2017, Ryden was commissioned to create the set and costume design for a new production of Whipped Cream, put on by the American Ballet Theatre with choreography by Alexei Ratmansky. The work created by Ryden for the ballet were exhibited at the Gallery Met located at the Metropolitan Opera House.