The moment a visitor walks into The Brant Foundation’s exhibition space in the East Village, they are hit immediately with the vibrant colors and whimsical characters of Kenny Scharf’s artwork.

That includes one of the pioneering artist’s most well-known works, “When the Worlds Collide" from 1984, on loan from the Whitney Museum of American Art. 


What You Need To Know

  • An exhibition of Kenny Scharf's art is on display at The Brant Foundation in the East Village in Manhattan

  • The artist rose to popularity in the 1980s as part of a scene that also included Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat

  • The exhibition brings together more than 70 works from Scharf's career 

“It’s just a great example of the kind of chaos and joyful kind of attitude that Kenny Scharf has towards his paintings,” Sabrina Marsalisi, director of education at The Brant Foundation, said. 

Scharf’s work combines pop art with surrealism. The exhibition brings together more than 70 works from Scharf’s career. These are from the Brant Collections plus loans from institutions and private collections.

It’s all on display in the unique space, a former Con Ed substation from the 1920s. It’s located in the East Village area where Scharf created a lot of his work in the 1980s alongside contemporaries, like friend Keith Haring and Basquiat. 

“It’s really special to bring a lot of works back to a neighborhood where it was so profound on him,” she said. 

Familiar faces in Scharf’s work include cartoon characters from his childhood like The Jetsons and The Flintstones. Along the way, he created his own characters in his paintings, plus customizing ordinary objects like TV sets, radios and cameras into colorful works of art. 

“You just have this insight into some of the toys and some of the products and colors and vibes of the 1980s when looking at this work,” she said.

The exhibition is co-curated by Peter Brant and Tony Shafrazi in close collaboration with Scharf. The exhibition is on display through Feb. 28.

For more information, visit brantfoundation.org

Editors Note: The headline of this article has been corrected to reflect the exhibit is located at The Brant Foundation.