Mark Ryden’s Anima Animals: Surreal paintings of wide-eyed, melancholy creatures from pop-surrealist Mark Ryden.

Step into the whimsical and uncanny world of Mark Ryden, the celebrated pioneer of Pop Surrealism.

This lavishly produced volume features 60 color plates, an artist statement, and an insightful essay by Linda Tesner. Encased in Ryden’s signature pink design, the book offers an intimate look at the artist’s creative process, from paintings and drawings to porcelain sculptures and installations.

For over two decades, Ryden has conjured a bestiary of fantastical beings―half-animal, half-plush―infused with nostalgia and mystery. Inspired by mid-century Rushton toys and rendered with the precision of an old master, these creatures blur the boundaries between innocence and eeriness.

In Anima Animals, Ryden unveils more than forty works, including iconic figures like the Snow Yak and his reimagined California bear, alongside new paintings created for his acclaimed exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in Shanghai. Each piece invites viewers into a dreamlike narrative, where archetypes, kitsch, and mysticism collide in a surreal visual symphony.

Perfect for collectors, art enthusiasts, and fans of contemporary surrealism, Anima Animals is more than a monograph―it’s a portal into a universe where imagination reigns supreme and every creature tells a story.

Blending pop culture themes 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 topics loaded with cultural connotation.