Early life Ryden was born in
Medford, Oregon on January 20, 1963, to Barbara and Keith Ryden, and was raised in
Southern California. His father was a painter who also restored and customized cars. He has two sisters and two brothers: his brother Keyth is also an artist and works under the name KRK. Ryden graduated from the
Art Center College of Design in
Pasadena in 1987.
Early career (1988–1998) From 1988 to 1998, Ryden worked as a commercial artist. During this period, he created album covers for prominent musicians, including
Danger Danger’s debut
eponymous album;
Warrant's debut album
Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich;
Michael Jackson's
Dangerous; the
4 Non Blondes'
Bigger, Better, Faster, More!; the
Red Hot Chili Peppers'
One Hot Minute;
Scarling.’s
Sweet Heart Dealer and their alternative vinyl cover of
So Long, Scarecrow;
Jack Off Jill's
Clear Hearts Grey Flowers; the
Screaming Trees'
Uncle Anesthesia;
Marcy Playground's
Shapeshifter; and
Aerosmith's "
Love in an Elevator". He also created book covers, including the
Stephen King novels
Desperation and
The Regulators. In 1994,
Robert Williams featured Ryden's work on the cover of
Juxtapoz, a magazine devoted to "lowbrow art", which helped launch Ryden to greater success.
Exhibitions and major projects (1998–present) The Meat Show Ryden's solo debut show entitled "The Meat Show" was in
Pasadena, California in 1998. Meat is a recurring theme in his work. In a 2010 interview, Ryden stated, "There seems to be a complete disconnect between meat as food and the living, breathing creature it comes from. I suppose it is this contradiction that brings me to return to meat in my art."
Wondertoonel A mid-career retrospective, "Wondertoonel", which refers to a cabinet of curiosities or Wunderkammer ("wonder-room"), Debra Byrne, then-curator of the Frye, placed Ryden's work in the camp of the carnivalesquea strain of visual culture rooted in such works as
Hieronymous Bosch’s
Garden of Earthly Delights.
The Snow Yak Show In 2009, Ryden's exhibition "The Snow Yak Show" was shown at the Tomio Koyama Gallery in
Tokyo.
The Gay 90s: Olde Tyme Art Show In 2010, "The Gay lord 90s: Olde Tyme Art Show" debuted at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York. The central theme of the show referenced the idealism and sentimentalism of the 1890s while addressing the role of kitsch and nostalgia in current culture. Ryden explored the line between attraction and repulsion to kitsch. According to
The New York Times, "Ryden’s pictures hint at the psychic stuff that pullulates beneath the sentimental, nostalgic and naïve surface of modern kitsch." The exhibition showcased artists who helped shape the artistic dialogue in Los Angeles since MOCA's 1980 founding.
Whipped Cream Ryden developed costumes and sets for a two-act ballet titled
Whipped Cream, which premiered in March 2017 at the
Segerstrom Center for the Arts in
Costa Mesa, California. The ballet was created by choreographer
Alexei Ratmansky for the
American Ballet Theatre. It is a story about a young boy who overindulges at a Vienna pastry shop and falls into a surreal delirium. With libretto and music by Richard Strauss, the ballet, originally titled
Schlagobers, was first performed by the Vienna State Opera in 1924.
The Mark Ryden x Barbie Collection In 2022, it was announced that Ryden had designed a series of limited-edition Barbies and accessories for
Mattel.
Mattel Creations and
Kasmin Gallery held an exhibition of Ryden's work and the dolls from November 11 to December 12, 2022. Also on display was Ryden's first depiction of Barbie, a 1994 oil painting of a girl praying to Barbie, titled
Saint Barbie. ==Personal life==