American artist Paul Rousso transforms the fleeting into the monumental. Renowned for his hyperreal, oversized sculptures of crumpled currency, candy wrappers, newspapers, and glossy magazine pages, Rousso interrogates our relationship with media, materialism, and memory. His works playfully immortalize what is typically tossed aside—objects meant to be consumed and forgotten—elevating them into timeless icons of contemporary culture.
Rousso’s practice draws from a diverse background in scenic design, digital manipulation, and commercial art direction, all of which converge in his meticulously crafted sculptures.
Through a proprietary process of heat infusion on plexiglass and other materials, he sculpts paper-thin forms that mimic real-life textures with startling accuracy. The result is artwork that is both technically impressive and conceptually resonant—wrinkled banknotes and discarded ads become touchpoints for nostalgia, identity, and cultural commentary. Influenced by Pop Art masters like Lichtenstein and Warhol, as well as the fantastical stylings of Dr. Seuss, Rousso infuses his work with wit, color, and scale. But beneath the playful surface lies a quiet urgency: a meditation on the impermanence of media in a world where physical print is vanishing.
By preserving these ephemeral artifacts in larger-than-life form, he invites viewers to pause, reflect, and consider what we value—and what we throw away.
Through a proprietary process of heat infusion on plexiglass and other materials, he sculpts paper-thin forms that mimic real-life textures with startling accuracy. The result is artwork that is both technically impressive and conceptually resonant—wrinkled banknotes and discarded ads become touchpoints for nostalgia, identity, and cultural commentary. Influenced by Pop Art masters like Lichtenstein and Warhol, as well as the fantastical stylings of Dr. Seuss, Rousso infuses his work with wit, color, and scale. But beneath the playful surface lies a quiet urgency: a meditation on the impermanence of media in a world where physical print is vanishing.
By preserving these ephemeral artifacts in larger-than-life form, he invites viewers to pause, reflect, and consider what we value—and what we throw away.
Videos 
Videos
Paul Rousso: The Power Of Paper
Inside the Creative Space with Paul Rousso [Live, Recorded on April 29th 2021]
Paul Rousso at work
Paul Rousso - A Pop Tribute to Paper
Publications
Publications
Power of Paper Paul Rousso, 2023
Tatler Singpore Introduces 5 Must-Know Contemporary Artists of Ode to Art for Art Collection Starters, 2022
Biography
Biography
Born in 1958 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Paul Rousso is an American contemporary artist whose large-scale, hyperreal sculptures investigate the transitory nature of print media and mass culture. After earning his B.F.A. from the California College of Arts in 1981, Rousso began his creative journey in the commercial arts—working as a scenic painter for Warner Brothers and later as an art director and illustrator for brands such as Revlon, Clairol, Bloomingdale’s, and Conde Nast.
These early professional chapters deeply inform the visual language of his fine art practice today: bold, polished, and unmistakably attuned to the aesthetics of consumer culture. Rousso’s sculptural works reflect a fascination with material culture—particularly paper in all its forms: currency, candy wrappers, newspapers, comic books, and fashion magazines. His art freezes these disposable items in a moment of suspended motion, their crumpled, torn, or folded states rendered immaculately through digital printing, heat-infused plexiglass, and precise sculptural manipulation.
What is ephemeral becomes monumental; what is meant to be discarded becomes enduring. By inflating these relics of the printed age to massive dimensions—sometimes four to five feet across—Rousso invites the viewer to confront their relationship with the objects they consume and abandon without a second thought. Though once defined by his "Flat Depth" concept—transforming flat surfaces into sculptural forms—Rousso’s work now speaks more broadly to the tension between impermanence and permanence, nostalgia and progress.
His use of scale, illusion, and physical distortion challenges the viewer to reconsider what holds value in a digital age where the tangible is quickly replaced by the virtual. Influenced by Pop Art greats like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, as well as the fantastical whimsy of Dr. Seuss, Rousso infuses his work with wit and satire. Yet beneath the polished surfaces and vivid colors lies a deeper commentary on obsolescence, desire, and cultural memory. As Rousso puts it, “All this stuff is going away”—and his work seeks to preserve it, question it, and elevate it, all at once. Today, Paul Rousso’s work is held in private collections across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and his public installations can be found in cities throughout the United States.
With each oversized sculpture, he offers not just an object to be viewed, but a reflection of the world we live in—its fleeting beauty, relentless consumption, and the quiet poetry of what we leave behind.
These early professional chapters deeply inform the visual language of his fine art practice today: bold, polished, and unmistakably attuned to the aesthetics of consumer culture. Rousso’s sculptural works reflect a fascination with material culture—particularly paper in all its forms: currency, candy wrappers, newspapers, comic books, and fashion magazines. His art freezes these disposable items in a moment of suspended motion, their crumpled, torn, or folded states rendered immaculately through digital printing, heat-infused plexiglass, and precise sculptural manipulation.
What is ephemeral becomes monumental; what is meant to be discarded becomes enduring. By inflating these relics of the printed age to massive dimensions—sometimes four to five feet across—Rousso invites the viewer to confront their relationship with the objects they consume and abandon without a second thought. Though once defined by his "Flat Depth" concept—transforming flat surfaces into sculptural forms—Rousso’s work now speaks more broadly to the tension between impermanence and permanence, nostalgia and progress.
His use of scale, illusion, and physical distortion challenges the viewer to reconsider what holds value in a digital age where the tangible is quickly replaced by the virtual. Influenced by Pop Art greats like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, as well as the fantastical whimsy of Dr. Seuss, Rousso infuses his work with wit and satire. Yet beneath the polished surfaces and vivid colors lies a deeper commentary on obsolescence, desire, and cultural memory. As Rousso puts it, “All this stuff is going away”—and his work seeks to preserve it, question it, and elevate it, all at once. Today, Paul Rousso’s work is held in private collections across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, and his public installations can be found in cities throughout the United States.
With each oversized sculpture, he offers not just an object to be viewed, but a reflection of the world we live in—its fleeting beauty, relentless consumption, and the quiet poetry of what we leave behind.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
2024
INTERFERENCE, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Texas, USA
2023
The Power Of Paper, Ode To Art, Singapore
2022
Paul Rousso: Master, Avant Gallery
2021
Summer of Love '21, SmithDavidson Gallery
Lanoue Gallery, USA
2020
Flat Depth SOLO Show, SmithDavidson Gallery
2019
Art New York, SmithDavidson Gallery, Miami, USA
A Classic Love Letter, Proyecto H/ Galeria Hispanica
2018
'East meets West', SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, USA
Art Palm Beach, USA
Galerie de Bellefeuille, Canada
2017
Times Suspended II, SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York City, USA
Time Suspended, Miami Country Day School, Miami, USA
PAN Amsterdam, the Netherlands
American Currency, EDEN Gallery
Galerie de Bellefeuille, Canada
2016
Art Miami, USA
PAN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mix and Match Exhibition, SmithDavidson Gallery Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York, USA
Palm Beach Show, West Palm Beach Convention Center, USA
2015
Art Miami, Miami, USA
PAN Art Fair, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York City, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2014
Scope Miami, Miami, USA
Scope New York, New York City, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2013
Art Miami, Miami, USA
Scope Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Scope New York, New York City, USA
Art Baltimore, Baltimore, USA
Art Wynwood, Miami, USA
2012
Boston International Art Fair, Boston, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2011
The Butterfly Project, Holocaust Memorial. Sculpture for the Foundation of Shalom Park
Scope Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Scope New York, USA; Scope Miami, USA
2007
Onessimo, Palm Beach Gardens, USA
FADA, Los Angeles, USA
2005
Solo Exhibition, Charlotte, USA
2003
Solo Paul Rousso Studio, Charlotte, USA
1994
Solo Exhibition, Carillon Building, Charlotte, USA
1992
Spirit Square Arts Center, Charlotte, USA
1991
Solo, Lincolnton Cultural Center, Lincolnton, USA
INTERFERENCE, Laura Rathe Fine Art, Texas, USA
2023
The Power Of Paper, Ode To Art, Singapore
2022
Paul Rousso: Master, Avant Gallery
2021
Summer of Love '21, SmithDavidson Gallery
Lanoue Gallery, USA
2020
Flat Depth SOLO Show, SmithDavidson Gallery
2019
Art New York, SmithDavidson Gallery, Miami, USA
A Classic Love Letter, Proyecto H/ Galeria Hispanica
2018
'East meets West', SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, USA
Art Palm Beach, USA
Galerie de Bellefeuille, Canada
2017
Times Suspended II, SmithDavidson Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York City, USA
Time Suspended, Miami Country Day School, Miami, USA
PAN Amsterdam, the Netherlands
American Currency, EDEN Gallery
Galerie de Bellefeuille, Canada
2016
Art Miami, USA
PAN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mix and Match Exhibition, SmithDavidson Gallery Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York, USA
Palm Beach Show, West Palm Beach Convention Center, USA
2015
Art Miami, Miami, USA
PAN Art Fair, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art New York, New York City, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2014
Scope Miami, Miami, USA
Scope New York, New York City, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2013
Art Miami, Miami, USA
Scope Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Scope New York, New York City, USA
Art Baltimore, Baltimore, USA
Art Wynwood, Miami, USA
2012
Boston International Art Fair, Boston, USA
LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA
2011
The Butterfly Project, Holocaust Memorial. Sculpture for the Foundation of Shalom Park
Scope Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Scope New York, USA; Scope Miami, USA
2007
Onessimo, Palm Beach Gardens, USA
FADA, Los Angeles, USA
2005
Solo Exhibition, Charlotte, USA
2003
Solo Paul Rousso Studio, Charlotte, USA
1994
Solo Exhibition, Carillon Building, Charlotte, USA
1992
Spirit Square Arts Center, Charlotte, USA
1991
Solo, Lincolnton Cultural Center, Lincolnton, USA
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