Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Kenny Scharf up next at the Brant Foundation

Art via The Brant Foundation

Kenny Scharf, a pioneer of the street art movement in the 1980s East Village, will be the subject of a major survey at the Brant Foundation next month. 

The Foundation announced details yesterday: 
Opening Nov. 13, the exhibition brings together over 70 paintings, sculptures, and objects created throughout the artist's expansive career, beginning with works from the late seventies. The survey is compiled from the Brant collections as well as major loans from institutions and private collections, including The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) and The Broad (Los Angeles). 

Kenny Scharf is co-curated by Peter M. Brant & Tony Shafrazi in close collaboration with the artist. 
Tickets (here) for Nov. 13 – Dec. 22 are currently available, and the remaining tickets (Dec. 23 – Feb. 28) will be released in the upcoming weeks. The exhibition will be open Wednesday through Sunday. 

Tickets are $20, $15 for students, and $15 for East Village residents. Admission is 50% off every Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. 

The Brant Foundation's first show at 421 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue in the spring of 2019 featured work by Basquiat — some 70 works collectively valued at $1 billion. Other exhibits include a career-spanning Warhol collection in the spring of 2023.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kenny Scharf is an amazingly talented artist. Now based in LA, he was originally one of the Club 57 scene makers. His art graces the cover of the current vinyl and CD album "Continuous Pleasures" by the band Disturbed Furniture, another East Village/Club 57 spawn. I am looking forward to seeing Kenny's artwork at the Brant Foundation.

Sarah said...

To be honest, it's a little uncomfortable seeing street art in this context (i.e., historically allegedly tax-dodging rich guy now likely using art museum for somewhat more legal version of same), but the space *is* striking.

Anonymous said...

I hear you, Sarah. This working-class guy from the Great Lakes
moved to the EV at the start of the 80’s. Energetic Street (and subway) works by Keith and Kenny certainly helped to define that era, and now stir fond memories. And oh, how I wish I had had the foresight to scrape together a few hundred
dollar back then, to purchase a
Few. But to give them too much credit for the cultural importance of graffiti art, seems like giving the Beastie Boys too much credit for the rise of Rap.

Anonymous said...

Still, it’s a fun a colorful show that speaks of that 1980s period and his stuff is far less overproduced into merch unlike Warhol, Basquiat, and Haring.

Anonymous said...

Scharf work was too commercial even before the paint had dried. However his work would be ideal for children's story books.