Along with friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, contemporary Jewish artist Kenny Scharf developed from a graffiti artist into a major force in the 1980s NYC art scene. There, amongst the fervent creative bustle of a depressed downtown scene, the trio would soon change the way we think about art, the world, and ourselves. Obsessed with garbage, cartoons and plastic, this playful Peter Pan’s roller coaster career flourished despite the decimation of the AIDS crisis and the fickle tastes of the art world. From street art to museums, Scharf continues to create colorful, complex work that puts him at the forefront of where popular culture meets fine art. Kenny Scharf: When Worlds Collide is about the art of fun, about living life out loud, despite setbacks, and about Kenny Scharf’s particular do-it-yourself, high-tone, technicolor artistic vision.

Accompanying the film premiere is a discussion with directors Max Basch & Malia Scharf, and moderator Chana Sheldon, director of the Museum of Contemporary Art. To view the conversation please click here.

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Sponsored by Paula & Mickey Finkle, and Maxene & Eugene Posman.

The Miami Jewish Film Festival virtual program is made possible with the generous support of Benjamin Nahum and Tamar Roodner.