Good condition.
Signed and dated on the lower right, and stamped on the lower left.
A gallery label is affixed to the lower right corner of the back of the frame.
The verso of the artwork was not examined, as it is mounted on a mat.

Known for his unique visual universe that fuses baroque technique with kitschy motifs, Mark RYDEN (born 1963) is a pioneer of “Pop Surrealism”. After earning a BFA in Illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 1987, he gained public attention through commercial work such as album covers for Michael Jackson, and soon made a name for himself in the world of commercial art. Combining intricate baroque-style renderings with motifs of youthful “anima,” organs, and flesh, he has constructed a fantastical world where “cuteness” and “unease” coexist. He has held exhibitions worldwide, including The Snow Yak Show at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Tokyo (2009) and The Gay ’90s: Olde Tyme Art Show at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York (2010).

Princess Praline’s Procession (2016), part of the visual series for the ballet Whipped Cream, captures a moment of eerie procession. A parade in macaron hues, candy-clad characters, and the mystical presence of “Princess Praline” at its center blur the line between dream and reality, purity and perversion. The ritualistic composition of the marching girls embodies Breton’s poetics of the unconscious, evoking the surreal imagery of Dalí and Ernst. With its sugary charm and lurking absurdity, the piece quietly tells of the continuity and transformation of surrealism in the contemporary moment.

“Mark Ryden: The Art of Whipped Cream”, May 20 - July 28, 2017, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York