{{Short description|American artist (born 1959)}} {{for|the American football coach|Ron English (American football)}}
{{Multiple issues| {{Promotional|date=November 2025}} {{COI|date=November 2025}} {{Excessive examples|date=December 2025}} {{Unreliable sources|date=December 2025}} }} {{Infobox person | name = Ron English | image = 10.13.12RonEnglishByLuigiNovi1.jpg | caption = English at the 2012 [[New York Comic Con]] | birth_name = Ronald English | birth_date = 1959 | birth_place = [[Decatur, Illinois]], U.S. | occupation = Pop artist, illustrator | years_active = | height = | spouse = | website = {{URL|www.popaganda.com}} }} '''Ron English''' (born 1959 in Decatur, Illinois) is an American artist who explores [[Brand|brand imagery]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Queenan|first=Joe|date=2006-08-11|title=Joe Queenan on art guerilla Ron English|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/aug/12/art|access-date=2020-07-29|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> [[street art]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Jonathan|date=2003-04-13|title=His Art Hangs, and Trespasses, in the Most Notable Places|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/13/nyregion/his-art-hangs-and-trespasses-in-the-most-notable-places.html|access-date=2020-07-29|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and [[advertising]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-12-03|title=Street artist Ron English vowed to whitewash a $730,000 Banksy mural. Then things got even weirder|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-banksy-ron-english-20181203-story.html|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> He creates two and three dimensional works and multimedia projects.<ref name="UrbanNation">{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://urban-nation.com/artist/ron-english/ |website=Urban Nation |publisher=URBAN NATION Museum for Urban Contemporary Art |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> He coined the term "POPaganda" to describe his "blending of high and low cultural touchstones".<ref name="UrbanNation" /><ref name="KCRW">{{cite web |last=Shumate |first=Laura |title=Learning English |url=https://www.kcrw.com/stories/learning-english |website=KCRW |date=29 November 2011 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="GuardianBillboards">{{cite news |last=Queenan |first=Joe |title=Graphic agitation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/aug/12/art |work=The Guardian |date=12 August 2006 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref>
Beginning in the early 1980s he has produced murals<ref name="PBSCollab">{{cite web |last=Fuentes |first=Ed |title=First Legal Works Under Mural Ordinance will be Street Art by Risk with Shepard Fairey, and Ron English |url=https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/first-legal-works-under-mural-ordinance-will-be-street-art-by-risk-with-shepard-fairey-and-ron-english |website=PBS SoCal |date=23 October 2013 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref> and has exhibited his work in galleries and museums.<ref name="GuardianBillboards" />He has been featured in the documentary ''POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English'' and he created the fictional world of ''Living in Delusionville''<ref name="HypebeastDelusionville">{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Elaine YJ |title=Ron English "Delusionville" Exhibition |url=https://hypebeast.com/2018/10/ron-english-delusionville-allouche-gallery-exhibition |website=Hypebeast |date=12 October 2018 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="WaveFarmRabbbits">{{cite web |title=The Rabbbits |url=https://wavefarm.org/radio/wgxc/calendar/7y401n |website=Wave Farm / WGXC |date=2 April 2020 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref> He has also designed sneakers, face masks, NFTs, and artist-designed fundraising campaigns.<ref name="NikeKD14Ron1">{{cite web |title=KD14 'Ron English 1' Release Date |url=https://www.nike.com/launch/t/kd14-ron-english-1 |website=Nike SNKRS |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="NZHeraldUkraine">{{cite news |last=Phare |first=Jane |title=Buyer 'frenzy': Kiwi collectors and investors compete for must-have items online |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/buyer-frenzy-kiwi-collectors-and-investors-compete-for-must-have-items-online/QXH365GACYGGV4I5SS2PGEJ3RM/ |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=9 April 2022 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="GuardianMasks">{{cite news |last=Sayej |first=Nadja |title=Guerrilla artist Ron English: 'You trade your health for art' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/24/guerilla-artist-ron-english-you-trade-your-health-for-art |work=The Guardian |date=25 August 2020 |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref>
==Early life and education== English was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended the [[University of North Texas]] in Denton where he received a [[Bachelor of Fine Arts]], and went on to attend the University of Texas where he received a MFA degree. He then moved to [[New York City]],{{when|date=December 2025}} where he worked for several artists as an assistant.<ref name="PopFineArt">{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://www.popfineart.com/artists/ron-english-1966/ |website=POP Fine Art |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref>
==Career== Beginning in the early 1980s, English produced street interventions and other guerrilla works as a form of "[[culture jamming]]" on advertising billboards before developing a parallel studio practice.<ref name="UrbanNation" /> He has produced [[Wall-painting|wall paintings]], including murals on the Berlin Wall’s Checkpoint Charlie and on the West Bank separation barrier.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |website=Solo Contemporary |publisher=Colección SOLO |url=https://solocontemporary.com/artists/ron-english/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |website=Urban Nation |publisher=URBAN NATION Museum for Urban Contemporary Art |url=https://urban-nation.com/artist/ron-english/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> He has targeted tobacco, fast-food and other consumer brands, reworking mascots such as [[Joe Camel]] and [[Ronald McDonald]] in order to satirize advertising and consumer capitalism.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |website=The Daily Omnivore |date=3 April 2011 |url=https://thedailyomnivore.net/2011/04/03/ron-english/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Sayej |first=Nadja |title=Ron English Artwork: Pop Culture Face Masks |website=Threadless Blog |date=5 August 2020 |url=https://blog.threadless.com/designer-toys-grinning-face-masks-and-pop-culture-mashups-spotlight-on-ron-english/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> For example, his character MC Supersized, an overweight fast-food mascot that was included in the documentary ''Super Size Me'' (2004).<ref name="PopColoring" /><ref name="Artion">{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://artiongalleries.com/ron-english/ |website=Artion Galleries |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> The ''MC Supersized'' figure is based on what Ronald McDonald would look like if he ate his own product as a satirical take on American ideals of consumption and celebrity.<ref name="PopFineArt" />
English developed a fictional universe he calls "Delusionville", an upside-down subterranean world populated by anthropomorphic animals and other recurring characters, including figures such as Elefanka, Mousezilla and members of his band The Rabbbits.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elefanka and Mousezilla |url=https://www.visithudson.org/elefanka-and-mousezilla/ |website=Visit Hudson |publisher=Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> Its inhabitants and settings appear across English's creative work.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sayej |first=Nadja |date=25 August 2020 |title=Guerrilla artist Ron English: 'You trade your health for art' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/24/guerilla-artist-ron-english-you-trade-your-health-for-art |website=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English: Delusionville |url=https://www.allouchegallery.com/exhibition/ron-english-delusionville/ |website=Allouche Gallery |location=New York |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> A documentary, ''Living in Delusionville'', chronicles English's life and career, combining archival footage, animation and interviews, framing his story within the imaginary world that gives the film its title.<ref>{{cite web |title="LIVING IN DELUSIONVILLE" |url=https://www.popaganda.com/news/living-in-delusionville |website=Popaganda |date=6 July 2022 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English: Living In Delusionville |url=https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/cuff-docs/2022/ron-english-living-in-delusionville/ |website=Calgary Underground Film Festival |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Living in Delusionville Film Screening and Q & A |url=https://downtownmesa.com/do/living-in-delusionville-film-screening-and-q-and-a |website=Downtown Mesa |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
English leads The Rabbbits, a rock-oriented group he created as a musical extension of the Delusionville universe, with songs that tell stories from that fictional underworld.<ref name="RabbbitsAbout" /><ref name="PhoenixRabbbits">{{cite news |last=Rawles |first=Timothy |title=Living in Delusionville: Film Doc Puts Some English on Street Art |url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/arts-culture/spotlight-shines-on-street-artist-ron-english-in-film-documentary-14301152/ |work=Phoenix New Times |date=25 August 2022 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> The band’s albums and performances draw on characters and themes from his visual work, with songs that reference the politics, mythologies and narratives of Delusionville. The Rabbbits have released recordings and performed live, extending Delusionville imagery into music and performance. English has also worked on collaborative music projects, including the band Hyperjinx Tricycle with musician [[Daniel Johnston]] and Jack Medicine, a recording project released on independent label Important Records.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Songs of Jack Medicine, Daniel Johnston & ... {{!}} AllMusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-songs-of-jack-medicine-daniel-johnston-ron-english-mw0000212650 |access-date=2026-02-24 |language=en}}</ref>
English has also designed album-cover artwork for bands and recording artists including [[the Dandy Warhols]]' 2003 album ''Welcome to the Monkey House'', featuring a banana half-exposed by a zipper in reference to Andy Warhol's record covers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Monkey House |url=https://www.dandywarhols.com/records/welcome-to-the-monkey-house/ |website=The Dandy Warhols |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dandy Warhols – Welcome To The Monkey House |url=https://www.wowfactor.sg/product/dandy-warhols-welcome-to-the-monkey-house/ |website=Wow & Flutter |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> He produced cover art for Slash's 2010 solo album ''Slash'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Slash Album Cover by Ron English |url=https://fadmagazine.com/2010/04/08/slash-album-cover-by-ron-english/ |website=FAD Magazine |date=8 April 2010 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> as well as for Chris Brown's album ''F.A.M.E.''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English x Chris Brown – F.A.M.E. Album Cover |url=https://arrestedmotion.com/2011/03/ron-english-x-chris-brown-f-a-m-e-album-cover/ |website=Arrested Motion |date=24 March 2011 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
His work has been featured in documentaries including Morgan Spurlock's ''Super Size Me'' (2004), the street-art film ''Exit Through the Gift Shop'' (2010), and Spurlock's ''POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold'' (2011).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://solocontemporary.com/artists/ron-english/ |website=Solo Contemporary |publisher=Colección SOLO |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English – Seasons in Supurbia |url=https://coreyhelfordgallery.com/shows/RON-ENGLISH-Seasons-In-Supurbia/info-press/ |website=Corey Helford Gallery |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://stopwatchgallery.com/portfolio-item/ron-english/ |website=Stopwatch Gallery |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> He is the subject of Pedro Carvajal's documentary ''POPaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English'', which traces his billboard interventions and studio work.<ref name="PopagandaDocMubi">{{cite web |title=Popaganda: The Art and Crimes of Ron English |url=https://mubi.com/films/popaganda-the-art-and-crimes-of-ron-english |website=MUBI |access-date=13 November 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Jonathan |date=24 August 2020 |title=Guerrilla artist Ron English: 'You trade your health for art' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/aug/24/guerilla-artist-ron-english-you-trade-your-health-for-art |work=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> English has appeared as himself in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart" (2012) and has served as a guest judge on the Oxygen reality competition series ''Street Art Throwdown''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Musat |first=Stephanie |date=3 March 2012 |title=Artist Ron English, who resides in Jersey City, will appear on the next episode of The Simpsons as himself |url=https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/2012/03/artist_ron_english_who_resides.html |work=The Jersey Journal |publisher=NJ.com |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Champagne |first=Christine |date=3 February 2015 |title=Street Artists Compete For Bragging Rights And Cash In A New Reality Show Hosted By BUA |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3041824/street-artists-compete-for-bragging-rights-and-cash-in-a-new-reality-show-hosted-by-bua |website=Fast Company |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English: Now You See It to Open at Allouche Gallery NYC |url=https://gothamtogo.com/ron-english-now-you-see-it-to-open-at-allouche-gallery-nyc/ |website=GothamToGo |date=8 May 2023 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
In the 2010s and 2020s, English began creating large-scale immersive installations and digital-collectibles projects.<ref name="RabbbitsAbout">{{cite web |title=About — The Rabbbits |url=https://therabbbits.com/about |website=The Rabbbits |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="BigShotNFT">{{cite web |title=Ron English NFTs |url=https://www.bigshottoyworks.com/ron-english-nfts |website=Bigshot Toyworks |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> In 2021 he presented ''Sugar Circus'', a large-scale indoor installation at The Nest in Shenzhen, described by Shenzhen Daily as a nearly 10,000-square-foot immersive art experience incorporating original paintings, large-format sculptures and art toys.<ref>{{cite web |title=Join Ron English's 'Sugar Circus' |url=https://www.sz.gov.cn/en_szgov/aboutsz/whatson/content/post_9433714.html |website=Shenzhen Government Online |publisher=Shenzhen Daily |date=7 December 2021 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Muramatsu |first=Jack |title=Ron English's 'Sugar Circus' Immersive Art Experience |url=https://www.vinylpulse.com/2021/11/ron-englishs-sugar-circus-immersive-art-experience.html |website=Vinyl Pulse |date=18 November 2021 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Nest Art Center, Shenzhen, China Designed by M Moser Associates, developed by Q-Plex |url=https://amazingarchitecture.com/arts-center/the-nest-art-center-shenzhen-china-designed-by-m-moser-associates-developed-by-q-plex |website=Amazing Architecture |date=2022 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> He also collaborated with Spanish event brand elrow on ''Delusionville'', a club and festival theme created by English that adapts his POPaganda universe into an immersive party environment with metamorphic landscapes and anthropomorphic animal characters presented at elrow events internationally.<ref>{{cite web |title=ELROW PRESENTA AL MUNDO SU NUEVA TEMÁTICA «DELUSIONVILLE» |url=https://elrow.com/es/post/elrow-presenta-al-mundo-su-nueva-tematica-delusionville |website=elrow |date=20 September 2022 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> On the digital side, English entered the NFT space in 2021 with the ''Ron English Essential NFT Collection'' on Nifty Gateway and has continued to release Delusionville- and ''Cereal Killers''-themed drops, while also collaborating with the digital-collectibles platform VeVe on a sequence of POPaganda-based releases; by the mid-2020s he was participating in VeVe’s “phygital” convention programmes at events such as DesignerCon, where physical sculptures and merchandise by artists including English are sold with redemption cards for paired digital collectibles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English Essential NFT Collection |url=https://niftygateway.com/collections/ronenglish |website=Nifty Gateway |date=28 March 2021 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
The first art toy he produced was Ronnie Rabbit (also styled "Ronnnie Rabbbit"), produced by Dark Horse.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English Interview |url=https://artoyz.com/en/blogs/news/entretien-avec-ron-english |website=Artoyz |date=22 June 2023 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> Subsequent projects include a limited-edition fiberglass bust based on his cover art for Slash's 2010 solo album.<ref>{{cite web |title=RON ENGLISH X SLASH Limited Edition Bust Sculpture |url=https://www.cluttermagazine.com/news/2013/03/ron-english-x-slash-limited-edition-bust-sculpture |website=Clutter Magazine |date=27 March 2013 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
==Murals, street art and public interventions== [[File:Wandmalerei Wassertorstr 64 (Kreuz) Mural&Ron English&2018.jpg|thumb|Wandmalerei Wassertorstr 64 (Kreuz) Mural (2018)]] Since the early 1980s, English has painted on buildings, billboards and other outdoor surfaces.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=R. Anthony |date=23 September 2014 |title=POPaganda! A conversation with Ron English, the godfather of Street Art |url=https://rvamag.com/art/street-art/popaganda-a-conversation-with-ron-english-the-godfather-of-street-art.html |website=RVA Mag |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://news.artnet.com/partner-content/ron-english-pop-international |website=Artnet News |date=6 October 2020 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> English also paints commissioned murals, for example the Richmond Mural Project in Virginia,<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=R. Anthony |date=23 September 2014 |title=More crazy stories from Street Art godfather Ron English |url=https://rvamag.com/art/street-art/more-crazy-stories-from-street-art-godfather-ron-english.html |website=RVA Mag |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> and a series of large-scale POPaganda murals produced in Jersey City as part of municipal and developer-sponsored public art initiatives<ref>{{cite news |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=9 August 2019 |title=World-renowned street artist Ron English brings his 'POPaganda' to Jersey City |url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/08/world-renowned-street-artist-ron-english-brings-his-popaganda-to-jersey-city-photos.html |work=The Jersey Journal |publisher=NJ.com |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> and legal murals in Southern California.<ref name="PBSCollab" />
===Culture jamming===
English's billboard work has been described "culture jamming" or "subvertising", using commercial advertising space as a site for critical interventions. A career monograph published by Last Gasp describes him as a "seminal figure in the subvertising, or culture jamming movement" and states that he has "pirated over a thousand billboards" by replacing existing advertisements with hand-painted parodies. British newspaper coverage characterises these actions as a "guerrilla war against corporate America", such as long-running campaigns in which English and collaborators repaint or paste over cigarette, liquor and fast-food advertising.<ref>{{cite news |last=Queenan |first=Joe |date=12 August 2006 |title=Graphic agitation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/aug/12/art |work=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=2 June 2005 |title=Popaganda: The Art & Crimes of Ron English |url=https://variety.com/2005/film/reviews/popaganda-the-art-crimes-of-ron-english-1200525379/ |work=Variety |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
Recurring billboard images that rework corporate mascots and logos include anti-smoking pieces that parody Joe Camel and fast-food imagery featuring obese or distorted versions of Ronald McDonald and other mascots, as well as political figures rendered with skeletal "grin" faces.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hart |first=Hugh |date=11 August 2014 |title=Marlboro Boy And Fat Ronald: The Brand-Jamming Art Of Ron English |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3033746/marlboro-boy-and-fat-ronald-the-brand-jamming-art-of-ron-english |website=Fast Company |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Corporate Lies and POPaganda: Who is Ron English? |url=https://blog.footdistrict.com/en/corporate-lies-and-popaganda-who-is-ron-english/ |website=Footdistrict |date=7 May 2019 |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> These characters are deliberately grotesque, designed to draw viewers toward familiar branding while redirecting attention to issues such as obesity, addiction and political propaganda.<ref>{{cite news |last=Queenan |first=Joe |date=12 August 2006 |title=Graphic agitation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/aug/12/art |work=The Guardian |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
He has applied similar strategies to product packaging and smaller-scale advertising formats; for example he designed spoof cereal boxes, cigarette packets and other packages and then placed them on shop shelves through "reverse shoplifting" or "shop gifting", allowing shoppers to encounter the parodies in ordinary retail environments.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hart |first=Hugh |date=11 August 2014 |title=Marlboro Boy And Fat Ronald: The Brand-Jamming Art Of Ron English |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3033746/marlboro-boy-and-fat-ronald-the-brand-jamming-art-of-ron-english |website=Fast Company |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English |url=https://shoppopaganda.com/products/popaganda-the-art-subversion-of-ron-english |website=Popaganda / Last Gasp |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=RJ |title=Ad takeovers |url=https://viralart.vandalog.com/read/chapter/ad-takeovers/ |website=Viral Art |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
== Fine art ==
English also creates oil paintings in a photorealistic style that includes pop imagery and themes of revisiting childhood from an adult perspective.<ref name="MuseoPazGuernica">{{cite web |title=Ron English: Reimagining Guernica |website=Gernika Peace Museum |url=https://www.museodelapaz.eus/en/exposicion/ron-english-reimagining-guernica/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> The exhibition ''Ron English: Guernica'' was held in 2016 at Allouche Gallery, which presented paintings reworking Picasso's composition combined with English's characters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English : Guernica |website=Allouche Gallery |url=https://www.allouchegallery.com/exhibition/ron-english-guernica/ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Estiler |first=Keith |title='Ron English Guernica' at the Allouche Gallery in NYC |website=Hypebeast |date=19 September 2016 |url=https://hypebeast.com/2016/9/ron-english-guernica-allouche-gallery-new-york-city |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> <ref name="PopFineArt" /><ref>{{cite web |title=They Would Be Kings – Lot 8: Ron English, ''Status Faction'' |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/they-would-be-kings-street-art-curated-by-steve-lazarides-hk0686/lot.8.html |website=Sotheby’s |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> He has also worked with religious iconography and art hisorical imagery,<ref name="AestheticaSkinDeep">{{cite web |last=Nanny |first=Mallory |date=5 July 2011 |title=Postmodernist Appropriation, Ron English: Skin Deep, Lazarides Gallery, London |url=https://aestheticamagazine.com/postmodernist-appropriation-ron-english-skin-deep-lazarides-gallery-london/ |website=Aesthetica |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="ArtsySkinDeep">{{cite web |title=Skin Deep: Post-Instinctual Afterthoughts On Psychological Portraiture |url=https://www.artsy.net/show/lazinc-skin-deep-post-instinctual-afterthoughts-on-psychological-portraiture/info |website=Artsy |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> for example, Leonardo da Vinci’s ''Last Supper'', Vincent van Gogh’s ''Starry Night'' and, in particular, Pablo Picasso’s ''Guernica'', using them as frameworks for contemporary allegories about war, advertising and mass media.<ref name="GernikaGuernica" /><ref name="AestheticaSkinDeep" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Patrick |date=27 June 2011 |title=Openings: Ron English – “Skin Deep” @ Lazarides Gallery |url=https://arrestedmotion.com/2011/06/openings-ron-english-%E2%80%94-skin-deep-lazarides-gallery/ |website=Arrested Motion |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref>
Among his ''Guernica''-based works, the painting ''Grade School Guernica'' (1980) restages Picasso’s scene with English’s children as protagonists, seen from the vantage point of the bomber aircraft; the Gernika Peace Museum notes that the work was exhibited at Houston’s Station Museum of Contemporary Art and that English has since produced more than fifty further variations on the ''Guernica'' template.<ref name="GernikaGuernica">{{cite web |title=Ron English: Reimagining Guernica |url=https://www.museodelapaz.eus/en/exposicion/ron-english-reimagining-guernica/ |website=Gernika Peace Museum |publisher=Gernika Peace Museum Foundation |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> He continued this theme in later projects such as the London exhibition ''Lazarus Rising'' at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, which included canvases based on the ''Guernica'' composition, and the 2016 New York show ''Ron English: Guernica'' at Allouche Gallery, which presented new large-scale paintings reimagining Picasso’s work.<ref>{{cite web |title=LAZARUS RISING |url=https://elmslesters.co.uk/exhibitions/lazurus-rising/ |website=Elms Lesters Painting Rooms |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English |url=https://solocontemporary.com/artists/ron-english/ |website=Solo Contemporary |publisher=Colección SOLO |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="HypeartGuernica">{{cite web |last=Estiler |first=Keith |date=19 September 2016 |title='Ron English Guernica' at the Allouche Gallery in NYC |url=https://hypeart.com/2016/9/ron-english-guernica-allouche-gallery-new-york-city |website=Hypeart |access-date=14 November 2025 }}</ref><ref name="UntappedGuernica">{{cite web |last=Fine |first=AFineLyne |date=26 September 2016 |title=Picasso's Guernica Brought Back to Life by Artist Ron English at Allouche Gallery NYC |url=https://www.untappedcities.com/picassos-guernica-brought-back-to-life-by-artist-ron-english-at-allouche-gallery-nyc/ |website=Untapped Cities |access-date=14 November 2025 }}</ref><ref name="AlloucheGuernica">{{cite web |title=Ron English : Guernica |url=https://www.allouchegallery.com/exhibition/ron-english-guernica/ |website=Allouche Gallery |access-date=14 November 2025 }}</ref>
English’s fine-art exhibitions include ''Lazarus Rising'', described by Elms Lesters and contemporary art press as his first UK solo show and accompanied by a limited-edition catalogue; ''Seasons in Supurbia'' (2009) at Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City, which LA Weekly characterised as a “perverted spoofing” of Disney, G.I. Joe and ''Peanuts'' iconography; and ''Skin Deep: Post-Instinctual Afterthoughts on Psychological Portraiture'' (2011) at Lazarides in London, a solo exhibition focused on psychological portraits of historical and pop-culture figures.<ref name="PopFineArt" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Dambrot |first=Shana Nys |date=21 November 2011 |title=Ron English's “Seasons In Supurbia” at Corey Helford: Artist's Perverted Spoofing of Disney, G.I. Joe and Charlie Brown |url=https://www.laweekly.com/ron-englishs-seasons-in-supurbia-at-corey-helford-artists-perverted-spoofing-of-disney-g-i-joe-and-charlie-brown/ |website=LA Weekly |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref><ref name="AestheticaSkinDeep" /><ref name="ArtsySkinDeep" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Ron English: Skin Deep: Post-Instinctual Afterthoughts On Psychological Portraiture |url=https://www.cassone-art.com/art-news/2011/07/ron-english-skin-deep-post-instinctual-afterthoughts-on-psychological-portraiture/ |website=Cassone |date=23 July 2011 |access-date=14 November 2025}}</ref> == Books == *''Original Grin: The Art of Ron English'' (2019)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Original grin : the art of Ron English |last=English, Ron |publisher=Cernunnos |location=Paris |isbn=978-2-37495-093-8 |oclc=1060583463 |date=2019-07-16}} </ref> *''POPaganda: The Art & Subversion of Ron English'' (2004)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Popaganda : the art & subversion of Ron English.|last=English, Ron.|date=2004|publisher=Last Gasp of San Francisco|isbn=0-86719-615-7|edition=2nd|location=San Francisco, CA|oclc=56715382}}</ref> *''Ron English's Fauxlosophy'' (2016)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Ron English's fauxlosophy |last=English, Ron |publisher=Carpet Bombing Culture |edition=First |location=[Darlington] |isbn=978-1-908211-45-3 |oclc=928121529 |date=May 2016}}</ref> *''Ron English's Popaganda Coloring Book'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite book|title=RON ENGLISH'S POPAGANDA COLORING BOOK.|date=2017|publisher=LAST GASP|isbn=978-0-86719-851-5|location=[Place of publication not identified]|oclc=988167737}}</ref><ref name="PopColoring">{{cite book |last=English |first=Ron |title=Ron English's Popaganda Coloring Book |publisher=Last Gasp |year=2016 |isbn=9780867198515 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YjwkvgAACAAJ |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref> *''Ron English's Vandalism Starter Kit'' (2014)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Ron englishs vandalism starter kit.|last=English, Ron.|isbn=978-0-86719-794-5|oclc=1023205267|date = December 2014}}</ref> *''Lazarus Rising'' (2009) *''Art for Obama'' (2009)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Art for Obama : designing Manifest Hope and the campaign for change|date=2009|publisher=Abrams Image|others=Fairey, Shepard., Gross, Jennifer (Jennifer Lynn)|isbn=978-0-8109-8498-1|location=New York|oclc=318415569}}</ref> *''Abject Expressionism'' (2007)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Abject expressionism|last=English, Ron.|date=2007|publisher=Last Gasp|others=Spurlock, Morgan, 1970-|isbn=978-0-86719-689-4|location=San Francisco, Calif.|oclc=154697915}}</ref> *''Son of Pop: Ron English Paints His Progeny'' (2007)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Son of pop : Ron English paints his progeny|last=English, Ron.|date=2007|publisher=9Mm Books|isbn=978-0-9766325-1-1|location=San Francisco|oclc=178066631}}</ref> *''Abraham Obama'' (2010)<ref>{{Cite book|title=Abraham Obama : a guerrilla tour through art and politics|date=2009|publisher=Last Gasp of San Francisco|others=Spurlock, Morgan, 1970-, Goede, Don., English, Ron., Bagwell, Stuart.|isbn=978-0-86719-722-8|location=San Francisco, CA|oclc=318421212}}</ref> *''Art is a Horrible Waste of the Imagination'' (1988) *''Status Factory'' (2014)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Status factory |last=English, Ron |others=Nahas, Dominique |publisher=Last Gasp of San Francisco |location=San Francisco, California |isbn=978-0-86719-789-1 |oclc=864411271 |year=2014}}</ref> *''Death and the Eternal Forever'' (2014)<ref>{{Cite book |title=Death : and the eternal forever |last=English, Ron |publisher=Korero Press |location=London |isbn=978-0-9576649-2-0 |oclc=868078912 |date=June 2014}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == {{commons category|Ron English}} *[http://www.popaganda.com Popaganda] *{{IMDb name|1577809|Ron English}} *[https://therabbbits.com/ The Rabbbits] – official site for Ron English’s band and Delusionville music project
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{{DEFAULTSORT:English, Ron}} [[Category:20th-century American painters]] [[Category:American male painters]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1959 births]] [[Category:Anti-consumerists]] [[Category:Artists from Jersey City, New Jersey]] [[Category:Photorealist artists]] [[Category:21st-century American painters]] [[Category:21st-century American male artists]] [[Category:Painters from New Jersey]] [[Category:Painters from Illinois]] [[Category:People from Decatur, Illinois]]