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 trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.

Ryden’s vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at darker 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 retrospective “Wondertoonel” at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California Art, and in the exhibition "The Artist's Museum" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.

Solo Exhibitions

2015
"Dodecahedron", Paul Kasmin Gallery , New York, New York

2014
"The Gay 90's West", Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, California

2010
"The Gay 90's Olde Tyme Art Show", Paul Kasmin Gallery , New York, New York

2009
"The Snow Yak Show", Tomio Koyama Gallery , Tokyo, Japan

2007
"The Tree Show", Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, California

2005
"Wondertoonel", Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, California

2004
"Wondertoonel", Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

2003
"Blood" Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, California
"Insalata Mista" Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Bologna, Italy

2002
"Bunnies and Bees", Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana, California

2001
"Bunnies and Bees", Earl McGrath Gallery, New York, New York
"Amalgamation", Outre Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

1998
"The Meat Show", Mendenhall Gallery, Pasadena, California