Mark Ryden is an American artist who rose to prominence in the early 1990s with his Old School paintings of Biblical and pop cultural icons. His work is often described as dark, whimsical, and disturbing, and has earned him the nickname The Dark Lord of Lowbrow. Ryden's work frequently features young girls in fantastic settings, animals, and references to Alice in Wonderland. He cites Robert Crumb, Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, and Edward Gorey as major influences on his art.
Ryden began his career as a professional sign painter and airbrush artist in Southern California during the 1980s. He quickly developed a following among underground comic book fans and lowbrow artists for his distinctive style. In 1987, he had his first solo exhibition at the La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. Since then, Ryden has exhibited his work extensively in galleries and museums across the United States and Europe. In 1998, he was included in the Whitney Biennial exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.
Ryden's work is highly collectible, and he has been featured in numerous books and magazines including Juxtapoz Magazine and Hi Fructose Magazine. In 2006, Ryden collaborated with musician Marilyn Manson on the album cover for Eat Me Drink Me. More recently, Ryden designed a series of US postage stamps for The United States Postal Service featuring children's book characters from classic literature including Alice's Adventures in Wonderland , The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , Charlotte's Web , Stuart Little , Make Way for Ducklings , The Cat in the Hat , Curious George , Corduroy , Goodnight Moon , Where The Wild Things Are , Maurice Sendak's A Hole Is To Dig .