Opening reception: May 19th, 6-8pm

Michael Kohn Gallery is pleased to present its first solo show with Ryan McGinness, which will include important pieces from several bodies of work along with new paintings. McGinness is known for his bold and refreshing paintings and installations that layer contemporary iconography to underscore the artist’s commentary on language, history, and symbolism. Re-imagining our world as a series of graphic icons, McGinness layers and collages these images to create complex and sophisticated paintings that shed light on our contemporary world. Boldly colorful and slick, McGinness deftly merges together digital techniques with more traditional crafts like silk screening and painting. Often likened to Andy Warhol, McGinness has developed a unique visual language to reflect on pop culture and the society in which we live.

Ryan McGinness grew up in Virginia Beach and was greatly influenced by the signs and signifiers that defined skate and surf culture. He received his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University and then moved to Manhattan, where he continues to live and work. McGinness has shown internationally and has been included in many museum exhibitions at such highly prestigious institutions as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Saatchi Gallery at the Academy of Arts in London, PS1/MOMA in New York, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, among many others. McGinness has guest lectured extensively in the United States, and his works have been acquired by many of the most important collections and museums in the world.