THE FAMILY / Ron English

 

One of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive today, New York-based painter and street artist RON ENGLISH has bombed the global landscape with unforgettable images, on the street, in museums, in movies, books, television, and album covers. English coined the term POPaganda to describe his signature mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history, to create a visual language of evolution.

Ron English is as well-known for his stunning technique and inventive use of color and comic book collage as he is for the unique cast of characters he has created, including camo deer, sexualized cows and rabbits, skeletal figures, Marilyn Monroe with Mickey Mouse breasts, the corpulent fast food spokesman MC Supersized, and one of his most significant creations, Abraham Obama, a fusion of America's 16th and 44th Presidents.

In addition to his fine art painting, English is widely considered a catalytic figure in the advancement of street art away from traditional wild-style lettering and into clever statement and masterful trompe l'oeil based art. Creating illegal murals and billboards that blend stunning visuals with biting political, consumerist and surrealist statements, English has hijacked public space worldwide for the sake of art.