The Gay '90s: A Portfolio: 24 Plates (Microportfolio, 7) - Hardcover

Ryden, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 237495000X ISBN 13: 9782374950006

Publisher: Cernunnos, 2016

Synopsis

The Godfather of Pop Surrealism, Mark Ryden, has captivated millions with his hauntingly whimsical vision. The Gay ’90s: A Portfolio brings together 24 meticulously reproduced plates from Ryden’s celebrated exhibitions, including The Gay 90’s Olde Tyme Art Show and The Gay 90's West.

Each image reflects Ryden’s signature blend of nostalgic Americana and unsettling dreamscapes, inviting viewers into a world where innocence and eeriness coexist.

This micro-portfolio offers collectors and fans an accessible way to own Ryden’s art. Printed on premium card stock and housed in an embossed, foil-stamped box, these plates are frame-ready, making them ideal for display. The set captures Ryden’s fascination with cultural archetypes, kitsch, and the uncanny, rendered in his trademark old-master technique.

Ryden’s work blurs boundaries between high and low art, combining pop culture references with baroque flourishes and cryptic symbolism. Cherubic figures mingle with surreal characters, creating compositions that are achingly beautiful yet tinged with psychological depth. Each plate is a conversation between nostalgia and mystery, offering endless interpretive possibilities.

Perfect for art enthusiasts, collectors, and fans of contemporary surrealism, The Gay ’90s: A Portfolio is more than a collection―it’s a curated experience of Ryden’s most iconic imagery, a testament to his enduring influence on modern visual culture.

About this title

About the Authors

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.

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cernunnos
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 237495000X
• ISBN 13: 9782374950006
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 24