Oil and acrylic on canvas

91.5 × 91 cm. 36 × 35 7/8 in.

Signed and inscribed in English, and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Acquired directly by original collector from the artist
Important Private Collection, Asia

Genius in the Golden Age with Friends
Kenny Scharf's Pop Piggy

“He feels his art both entertains and has a message. The show at Shafrazi puts a smile on your face and leaves you with hope, joy, play and optimism, and a sense of love.”

――Demetria Daniels Downtown Magazine

Born in 1958, Kenny Scharf is an American artist who described himself as a“Pop Surrealist.”He is deeply inspired by Pop culture and idols, television and movies, animation and Surrealism. His bold colours and fascinating composition always give the audience an fantastic immersing artistic experience. Along with fellow artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, he built the “East Village culture” during the 1960s to 1980s, leading to the golden age of Pop art and making the East Village a Holy Land for art lovers. Scharf's career took off hugely in the 1980s, including a solo show at the Gagosian Gallery in 1984 and an invitation to the Whitney Biennial in 1985. His works are widely collected in prestigious museums such as The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Bass in Florida. Recently, Dior invited him to co-design Dior's Pre-Fall 2021 collection, keeping his name at the forefront of art trends.

Time Memory, Sincere Friendship

The painting Love was completed in 1986, and it is one of Scharf's works in his golden age, including all his classic artistic vocabulary. On the left, there is a sign showing the artist once dedicated this painting to “Lidija”, a lady who appeared in Andy Warhol's photographs and diaries in the 1980s. Warhol mentioned that he often played and worked out with Basquiat, Lidija and other friends. Scharf was part of this group of like-minded friends, and his work Love documents his special friendship. What's more, in the mid-1980s, New York's Lower East Side was in chaos in the aftermath of the financial crisis, making street art often associated with prejudice. Kenny also occasionally met biased treatment in his life but never gave up on making art. He believes that everything in life can be transformed and expressed by “fun art”. Therefore, he drew inspiration from the popular animation Three Little Pigs and the American cartoon character “Porky Pig” to complete this work full of positive spirit.

Fantastic Imagination, Unique Ideas

The protagonist of Love is a cute piggy, created in a contrasting blue-purple colour on a highly saturated background of bright orange and yellow. Its nose, forelimbs and body are composed of a combination of balls, shaped like a toy pig made of balloons. The body is rendered in white highlights and dark shadows, creating a strong sense of contrast and stereo. The spiral pattern on this piggy is a classic painting element that Kenny has used since the early 1980s to add a sense of imagination. The protagonist's cartoon-like exaggerated eyes and mouth give it personality, highlighting its wit and optimism, giving people a strong emotional appeal. The whole painting presents a childlike and happy ending with gorgeous colours and exaggerated shapes. It reflects the strong influence of Pop culture and street art on Scharf, his optimistic and humorous attitude towards the world, and his expectations of “love” for the future, which adds to the significance of this collection.

Price estimate:
HKD: 650,000 - 900,000
USD: 82,800 - 114,600

Auction Result:
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