A clothbound collection of the works of Mark Ryden. Features new works, including Blood, Sweat, Tears, and The Creatrix, and a survey of 55 of Ryden's most impressive works from past shows to the present.  Viewers are initially drawn in by the comforting beauty of Ryden's pop-culture references, then challenged by their circumstances, and finally transported to the artist's final intent -- a world where creatures speak from a place of childlike honesty about the state of mankind and our relationships with ourselves, each other and our past.Clearly infused with classical references, Ryden's work is not only inspired by recent history, but also the works of past masters. He counts among his influences Bosch, Bruegel and Ingres with generous nods to Bouguereau and Italian and Spanish religious painting. Over the past decade, this marriage of accessibility, craftsmanship and technique with social relevance, emotional resonance and cultural reference has catapulted Ryden beyond his roots and to the attention of museums, critics and serious collectors. Ryden’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including a recent museum retrospective "Wondertoonel" at the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Mark Ryden was born in Medford Oregon. He received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles where he paints slowly and happily amidst his countless collections of trinkets, statues, skeletons, books, paintings and antique toys. 

Hardcover. Full-colour. 128 pages. 3rd ed.