Mark Ryden

Mark Ryden (1963 – ) is a painter from the USA, who is a prominent representative of the Pop Surrealism (Lowbrow) art movement. This movement, also known as Surrealist Pop, developed in the late 1970s in the Los Angeles, USA, underground scene. Ryden’s work combines popular culture with historical and mythological imagery, and he has been dubbed “the godfather of Pop Surrealism”. His work is described as having a Pop Surrealism style that contains a nightmarish quality. Ryden’s inspirations include "old children’s books, interesting product packages, toys, photographs, medical models, skeletons, shells, minerals, and religious statues".