inspiration

Kenny Scharf at the Brant Foundation

I visited Kenny Scharf’s exhibition at the Brant Foundation without knowing much about his work—color, character, and chaos totally pulled me in!

Charlie Yellow

15 Mar 2025 • 2 min read

I totally made up the lower half of this character!

In January, I visited the Kenny Scharf exhibition at the Brant Foundation in New York.

I didn’t know much about his artwork before, but I had previously been to the Andy Warhol exhibition at the same venue. That visit made me really excited about the building itself—I found out that it was once Walter De Maria’s studio and living space, which blew my mind. That alone made me want to go back, so I decided to check out the Kenny Scharf exhibition as well.

I mean, just imagine having a high-ceiling art studio in the Lower East Side of New York—I can’t even picture it! And on top of that, using an entire prime NYC building all to yourself, without renting out any part of it? That’s just unbelievably luxurious!

As for the exhibition itself, it was amazing. Seeing Kenny Scharf’s works all at once gave me a much deeper understanding of his art.

How bold he is to paint and decorate phones, TVs, and all sorts of electronic devices with glittery stickers and random knickknacks!

I really love the green character in the bottom left!

When you look at this painting up close, you can really see how detailed the lower half is. The contrast with the loose, rough lines in the background on the upper half makes it even more interesting!

I absolutely love this owl with a human face!

His mix of graffiti and pop art, his bold use of color, and of course, his adorable characters—there was so much to learn and be inspired by!