When it was announced last week that Mattel was teaming up to launch a limited-edition, collectable line of Barbie dolls with painter Mark Ryden, the so-called “godfather of Pop Surrealism,” the pairing made an unexpected kind of sense.
This Friday, fans get their first chance to get their hands on the special art Barbies at a pop-up in L.A. put on by Kasmin, Ryden’s gallery. The exhibition features a 1994 work, , which shows a young girl piously praying to a divine Barbie. Today it is one of Ryden’s best known works. For the “Pink Pop” show, the artist is also debuting a new series of paintings, drawings, and sculptures.
“Barbie has made appearances in my art for a long time,” Ryden said in a statement. “It is difficult to define Barbie. She is a cultural phenomenon, an archetypal figure. She is a bona fide celebrity, a subject worthy for Andy Warhol to portray alongside the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.”
A centerpiece of the collaboration is “Nature Queen Barbie,” a one-of-a-kind figurine with chartreuse hair and a dress sprouting a bouquet of animal heads, as well as a gold crown.
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Nature Queen is the centerpiece of the “Pink Pop” exhibit by Mark Ryden X Barbie. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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Nature Queen is the centerpiece of the “Pink Pop” exhibit by Mark Ryden X Barbie. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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Nature Queen is the centerpiece of the “Pink Pop” exhibit by Mark Ryden X Barbie. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
As for the collectable Ryden-themed Barbies, notable is “Bee Barbie,” who wears a bee-striped fur dress and hood, and has bee wings and a deathly pale face. “She’s sweeter than nectar and deep like a sting,” the Mattel Creations site enthuses. “Bee Barbie” is $150.
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Barbie Bee Doll is part of the limited edition Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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Barbie Bee Doll is part of the limited edition Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Certificate for Barbie Bee Doll](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/qd0UINvK8dykjPo9h6uqNrMgHpWiV0x9RHGJad3E.jpg)
Certificate for Barbie Bee Doll. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
The signature product of the collab is likely the “Pink Pop Barbie,” awash in Barbie-core synthetic pink. With candy-stripe stockings and a purse in the form of a T-bone steak, the doll is accompanied by a pet yak and a goony, sentient flower pot. It is $350.
![Pink Pop Barbie Doll set](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/5XqfBuseOyZWrNOD2AEeTgjsU8yicJIHAwSnmAu2.jpg)
Pink Pop Barbie Doll is part of the limited edition Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Mark Ryden X Barbie collection](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/u6R3cXbkHqMT0o3hrKHn7HMdVe5q4xGx5ynCtBvX.jpg)
Pink Pop Barbie Doll is part of the limited edition Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Detail of Pink Pop Barbie Doll from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/qMawP67cV9GuV6wLRN77YL0V34VqX9Tm1OXH3DAU.jpg)
Detail of Pink Pop Barbie Doll from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Pink Pop Barbie Doll 1](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/vQolFJjZBxRcTri1r0rrcmlVLuV61RsLGPYFaEFD.jpg)
Detail of Pink Pop Barbie Doll from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Yak from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/FYfKfp6JRWCC3qTMwKsawruSdxg1WmtQpfcnJ4Y2.jpg)
Yak from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Flower pot from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/sbndsicAfrhnKi9Lx1nVhYs1fDNXn0rYzSO1HEbv.jpg)
Flower pot from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
Higher up the price scale is the “Mark Ryden x Barbie at the Surrealist Ball” set, which goes for $500. It features two dolls, each with cropped bangs and a dress studded with surreal motifs. One has an orb on her head; the other, a star.
The set also comes with an occult-like pedestal with a dodecahedron studded with glazed, starring eyes.
![Black and White Surrealist Ball Dolls](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/9aaD278YDPN6uO7lVwHH0pDiMlYHgQoZHPNnUtXi.jpg)
Black and White Surrealist Ball Dolls is part of the limited edition Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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One of the dolls part of the Black and White Surrealist Ball Doll set from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Black and White Surrealist Ball Dolls 3](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/4XBeUw1OHNzoN265ys2CkMhu2yC4Fye9PNnN2CQF.jpg)
One of the dolls part of the Black and White Surrealist Ball Doll set from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Black and White Surrealist Ball Dolls pedestal](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/neMfld6gSVUl5hqTaDP6NaGA69HVr9MSQVQro9pQ.jpg)
The Surrealist pedestal from the Black and White Surrealist Ball Doll set from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
The variety of merch related to the collection ranges from a $50 Mark Ryden x Barbie “Bee Brooch” and a $60 “Pink Pop Umbrella” up to a $300 Mark Ryden x Barbie “Pink Pop Purse.”
![Mark Ryden X Barbie pin](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/bN43uGhKS3kkNyjVuEiHotntE0hYt8VDNj6ChdjT.jpg)
Mark Ryden X Barbie pin. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
![Mark Ryden X Barbie pins](https://static.usaartnews.com/storage/news/iJFw09xUnoVJkp6KKDoOygHsJ9qcRPKzDMAt7OJQ.jpg)
Selection of pins from the Mark Ryden X Barbie collection. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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Mark Ryden X Barbie umbrella. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
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Mark Ryden X Barbie handbag. Image courtesy of Mattel Creations.
The full capsule and accessories are available to purchase exclusively at Kasmin for one week before becoming available online from November 18.