Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter[1] known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

[2] Growing up in post-World War II Southern California, Scharf was fascinated by television and the futuristic promise of modern design.

[3] His works often include pop culture icons, such as the Flintstones and the Jetsons, or caricatures of middle-class Americans in an apocalyptic science fiction setting.

[5] In the East Village of the 1980s, Scharf began his trademark Cosmic Caverns, immersive black light and Day-Glo paint installations that also function as ongoing disco parties.

[9][10] They purchased a beachfront home in Bahia and split their time between Brazil and New York, where Scharf has a loft on Great Jones Street in NoHo.

[15] Art scribe Demetria Daniels writing in Downtown Magazine said about his work that it... "leaves you with hope, joy, play and optimism, and a sense of love...."[16]

[13] This expanded to a website called Total Cosmic Cavern," which had a chatroom and users could choose an avatar to explore Scharf Galaxy where each planet was based on one of his paintings.