Lowbrow Art: From Underground Comix to Pop Surrealism and the Fight for Legitimacy

Lowbrow art originated in Los Angeles during the late 1960s and 1970s, drawing inspiration from underground cartoonists such as Gary Panter and Robert Williams, with its beginnings linked to Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Rat Fink from the late 1950s. This artistic movement flourished through underground comix, including Zap Comix, showcasing talents like Robert Crumb and Victor Moscoso. It was marked by a blend of cultural influences and a distinctive sense of humor and sarcasm. Most practitioners were self-taught and faced backlash from the mainstream art community, although alternative galleries provided a platform for their work. In 2006, Williams asserted that he had introduced the term in 1979. The launch of Juxtapoz magazine in 1994 played a significant role in legitimizing Lowbrow art, which also paved the way for Pop Surrealism, featuring artists such as Mark Ryden and Kenny Scharf.