Who is Mark Ryden?

Mark Ryden (born 1963) is an American painter considered the godfather of Pop Surrealism. His meticulously rendered paintings combine saccharine imagery-big-eyed girls, cute animals, religious iconography-with disturbing undertones including meat, medical imagery, and mortality. Ryden’s technical precision recalls Old Masters while his subject matter draws from pop culture, advertising, toys, and Americana. Major series include ‘The Meat Show,’ ‘Bunnies and Bees,’ and ‘Gay Nineties West.’ His work has appeared on album covers for Michael Jackson and influenced countless artists working at the intersection of high and low culture. Ryden exemplifies Pop Surrealism’s embrace of craft, narrative, and accessible-yet-unsettling imagery. Discover more Pop Surrealism artists on our site.