Kenny Scharf Garage at the Pasadena Museum of California Art

June 16, 2013

I went to the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PCMA) to check out the exhibition, “Bloom,” by one of my favorite artists, Christopher Miles. It was my very first time visiting this museum, and I already knew I would love the work of Miles. As I entered the museum’s garage and got out of my car, I was so pleasantly surprised to find myself surrounded by these refreshing graffiti-like paintings covering the entire garage’s wall. For years, I have been interested and have followed the work of a few of the very well-known graffiti artists. I think graffiti artists are the most bold, creative, and daring amongst all other artists. I loved the garage art. I thought to myself, What a fantastic idea!

Kenny Scharf Garage

Born in Los Angeles, Kenny Scharf rose to prominence in the New York art scene in the 1980s as a part of a dynamic group of artists including Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. He has since returned to California, but he has retained the playful Pop aesthetic for which he is internationally renowned. In the summer of 2004, Kenny Scharf: California Grown opened at the PMCA as the museum’s first tri-level exhibition, with paintings installed and a tape of The Groovenians, Scharf’s animated show for Cartoon Network, screening on the second floor, his bronze sculptures in the third floor Founders’ Gallery, and the transformation of the PMCA garage into the Kosmic Kavern. After the end of the exhibition, the colorful murals spray-painted by Kenny over the course of a week remained on the walls of the garage and will continue on as a permanent installation at the museum. The Kosmic Kavern is on view during regular museum hours.

For more information, visit http://www.pmcaonline.org/kenny-scharf-garage.html.