Steven Charny: Monster Madness

Frankenstein 1931, 2023, Ceramic frame, acrylic paint, and linoleum print, 11 x 9 ½ inches

Monster Madness showcases Steven Charny’s mixed media artwork, reflecting his childhood fascinations with pop culture characters from the 1960s and ’70s. Using ceramic and linocut printmaking, Charny depicts everything from movie monsters and aliens, to the Mexican Luchador wrestlers and mythological creatures he used to watch on television.

Philadelphia native and current resident of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, Steven Charny was a magazine art director in New York City for over 40 years for many publications, including Rolling Stone, Sports Illustrated, Food & Wine, and Entertainment Weekly, in addition to freelance projects for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Upon his retirement in 2021, he decided to pursue his love of making art. He found his new calling in sculpture with instructor Katy Truk at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey, along with forays into printmaking. He has sought inspiration by reaching back into his childhood obsession with monsters, aliens, and all things grotesque. Charny also often incorporates light sources into his works, with several having illuminated eyes or heads.