Opera Gallery Presents “American 80s: from Warhol to Basquiat” at the Monaco Masters Show 2026

May 28
3 min read

3 July - 31 August 2026

MONACO

Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Opera Gallery will present this year’s edition of the Monaco Masters Show, titled American 80s: from Warhol to Basquiat, on view from July 3 through August 31, 2026 in Monaco.

(L-R) Andy Warhol, Marilyn Reversal, 1979, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, 45.5 x 38 cm | 17.9 x 15 in; Kenny Scharf, HAPOINTY GUY, 1986/2023, painted aluminium, 63 x 47.5 x 29.5 cm | 24.8 x 18.7 x 11.6 in; Keith Haring, Untitled, September 28, 1984, acrylic on canvas, 61 x 61 x 3.5 cm | 24 x 24 x 1.4 in

Bringing together significant works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, John Chamberlain, Robert Indiana, Alex Katz, George Condo, and Frank Stella, the exhibition revisits the creative energy and cultural transformation of 1980s New York City — a moment when artistic production became inseparable from the social, economic, and media forces shaping the era.

At the center of the exhibition is the legacy of Pop Art and its evolution into a faster, more hybrid visual language deeply intertwined with mass media, nightlife, street culture, and the rapid circulation of images. Andy Warhol’s work remains central to this narrative, with pieces such as Marilyn Reversal (1979) reflecting his lasting influence on celebrity culture, repetition, and the transformation of image-making into both commodity and icon.

Jean-Michel Basquiat emerges in the exhibition as one of the defining artistic voices of his generation. Through layered and emotionally charged compositions, works such as Untitled (Pestus) (1982) confront themes of identity, power, and history. Alongside Basquiat, Keith Haring’s Untitled, September 28 (1984) captures the bold visual immediacy and socially engaged spirit that came to define downtown New York in the 1980s. Drawing inspiration from subway culture and the urban landscape, Haring created a visual language that was both accessible and deeply connected to the city around him.

The exhibition also highlights sculptures by Kenny Scharf, whose playful yet visually intense figures reflected the growing collision between popular culture, television imagery, and contemporary art during the late twentieth century. Together, the works presented throughout the Monaco Masters Show reveal how the art of the 1980s did not simply mirror culture, but actively reshaped it.

“Beyond their historical significance, the artworks featured in this year’s Monaco Masters Show, dedicated to the American 1980s, reflect the enduring vitality of artists whose influence extends far beyond the decade in which they emerged,” said Federica Beretta, Global Director of Opera Gallery. “Bringing together some of the most influential artistic voices of 1980s New York, the exhibition celebrates a generation whose work continues to shape our understanding of image-making, celebrity, identity, and cultural expression.”

Extending beyond its focus on the American 1980s, the exhibition also includes important works by artists who shaped international modern and contemporary art across the postwar and early twenty-first century periods, including Fernando Botero, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Jean Dubuffet, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, Jaume Plensa, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Soulages, Niki de Saint Phalle, Manolo Valdés, and Tom Wesselmann.

Presented in support of Mission Enfance, American 80s: from Warhol to Basquiat further reflects Opera Gallery’s ongoing commitment to intergenerational cultural dialogue and the continued relevance of one of the most transformative decades in contemporary visual culture.

Founded in Singapore in 1994, Opera Gallery has established itself as a major international presence within the global art market, with locations spanning London, Paris, New York, Geneva, Madrid, Dubai, and Monaco. Under the leadership of founder Gilles Dyan, the gallery continues to present ambitious exhibitions dedicated to modern, postwar, and contemporary art.