“Los Niños y las Niñas”: Kenny Scharf’s monumental masterpiece on view at Deodato Arte in Milan

From March 5 to 28, 2026, Deodato Arte Gallery in Milan celebrates one of the most revolutionary decades in the history of contemporary art with the exhibition LEGENDARY 80S. This exhibition journey brings the visionary energy of 1980s New York back to the forefront through four absolute protagonists: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Kenny Scharf.

Among the works on display, Los Niños y las Niñas (2022) by Kenny Scharf stands out for its monumentality and expressive power: a piece over five meters long (183.52 x 536.89 cm), created with spray paint on canvas. An iconic work that represents the artist’s ongoing research, capable of condensing his entire poetic universe into a single visual explosion.

An explosion of color and imagination

Created in 2022 to commemorate the honorary degree awarded to Scharf by the New York Academy of Arts during the Tribeca Ball Festival, Los Niños y las Niñas presents itself as a vibrant celebration of creativity.

The composition is a universe in motion: a multitude of fantastic, eccentric characters animates the surface of the canvas in a dynamic balance between chaos and harmony. The figures—evoking extraterrestrial beings and childlike visions—burst with vital energy. Exaggerated expressions, playful postures, wide-open eyes: everything contributes to generating a sense of joy and curiosity that invites the viewer to cross the threshold between reality and fantasy.

The background is a kaleidoscope of bright colors—neon pinks, intense greens and blues—creating depth and movement. Fluid shapes and bold hues build a dreamlike landscape where imagination moves freely, unbound by constraints.

Los Niños y las Niñas, 2022
Spray paint on canvas
183.52 x 536.89 cm

Childhood as a universal language

The title, which can be translated as “The boys and the girls”, evokes a universal, timeless dimension: that of childlike wonder. At the center of the work emerges a celebration of innocence and creativity—elements Scharf considers essential not only in art, but in life itself.

Through his unmistakable visual language—an interplay of pop culture, surrealist suggestions, and gestural energy—the artist invites us to reconnect with our inner child, rediscovering spontaneity and amazement. Los Niños y las Niñas thus becomes not only an overwhelming aesthetic experience, but also a powerful message: art can inspire, unite generations and different cultures, and keep the spark of imagination alive.

A mature masterpiece in Scharf’s career

Considered one of the most iconic and representative works of his recent production, Los Niños y las Niñas fully embodies Kenny Scharf’s optimistic and inclusive vision. His practice—long characterized by improvisation, references to popular culture, and a pop-surrealist aesthetic—finds here a monumental synthesis.

Within LEGENDARY 80S, the work enters into dialogue with the other protagonists of the New York scene who redefined the relationship between art and society. Like Warhol, Basquiat, and Haring, Scharf also transformed art into a direct, accessible, and universal language. In this context, Los Niños y las Niñas is not only a contemporary work, but an ideal bridge between the revolutionary energy of the 1980s and the present.

Visiting the exhibition means immersing yourself in a powerful, engaging visual experience—where color becomes emotion and fantasy becomes real space.

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