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Pez

FrenchFrench
, b. 1969

Pierre Yves Riveau, known as Pez, creates surrealistic, finely detailed drawings of American cartoon characters in extreme states of neglect and decomposition. Mixing pop culture and street art, Pez’s illustrations recall the deconstructive Pop art of Matt Gondek and Nicolas Rubinstein and the street aesthetics of Etam Cru and Robert Proch. Pez’s works are distinguished by their technical precision as well as by the many layers of embedded narrative; the Homer Simpson portrait from his acclaimed 2013 series “Distroy” showed a Duff beer can emerging from Homer’s disintegrating head instead of a skull. Known for his pencil drawings, Pez also makes mixed-media paintings, including the record-breaking piece Alter Ego (Pixel series) (2017), which sold for 63% above the upper auction estimate in 2017. Pez has shown in solo exhibitions in Paris and London, and in group shows in Los Angeles and Seattle.