Luna Luna At The Shed: 7 Forgotten Fantasy Attractions By Basquiat, Haring, And Dalí You Must See Before March 2025

The legendary Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, the world’s first-ever art amusement park, has been spectacularly resurrected and is currently enchanting visitors at The Shed in New York City. This once-lost avant-garde theme park, originally staged for just three months in 1987, is a monumental showcase of carnival attractions designed by the most visionary artists of the 20th century. The exhibition, a rare convergence of high art and pure fun, is a must-see event for the 2024-2025 season.

As of late 2024, the interactive exhibition is a riotous fun house of restored attractions, offering a surrealist spectacle unlike any other. The limited-time engagement at The Shed provides a final opportunity to immerse yourself in this pop-art carnival, which is currently scheduled to run until March 16, 2025. Don't miss this unique chance to experience the history and fantasy of a world thought to be lost.

The Visionary History and Resurrection of Luna Luna

The story of Luna Luna is as fantastical as the art it contains—a tale of ambitious vision, decades of obscurity, and a high-profile, modern-day resurrection. The project was the brainchild of Viennese artist, musician, and peace activist André Heller. His intention was to blur the lines between high culture and popular entertainment, creating a truly democratic art experience.

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The original Luna Luna was a fleeting moment of magic, staged only once in the summer of 1987 in Hamburg, Germany. After its short run, the entire park—including its rides, pavilions, and attractions—was disassembled, packed into 44 shipping containers, and stored in Texas, where it was essentially forgotten for over three decades.

The fate of this priceless collection changed when it was acquired and revived by an investment group backed by Canadian rapper Drake and his entertainment company, DreamCrew. Their meticulous, multi-million dollar restoration project brought the delicate, hand-painted attractions back to life, culminating in the *Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy* exhibition, which has found its temporary home at The Shed in NYC.

• Creator: André Heller (Viennese artist, musician, and peace activist)
• Original Staging: Hamburg, Germany (Summer 1987)
• Revival Backer: Drake (via his company, DreamCrew)
• Current Location: The Shed, Hudson Yards, New York City
• Exhibition Dates: November 20, 2024 – March 16, 2025
• Original Scale: Featured contributions from over 30 renowned artists.

The Must-See Attractions: A Deep Dive into the Artist Rides

The true draw of the exhibition is the collection of large-scale, functional (though not all are operational for riding) carnival attractions, each a unique work of art from a 20th-century icon. These pieces represent a powerful fusion of the art world's elite with the simple joy of a fairground.

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Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Painted Ferris Wheel

One of the most celebrated centerpieces is the Ferris Wheel painted by Jean-Michel Basquiat. This monumental work features the artist's signature iconography, including crowns, skulls, and cryptic text, all rendered in his raw, dynamic Neo-Expressionist style. The wheel is accompanied by a soundtrack featuring music by Miles Davis from 1986, creating a multi-sensory experience that perfectly captures the energy of the New York art scene of the 1980s. Basquiat’s contribution is often cited as the piece that best encapsulates the spirit of the entire art amusement park.

Keith Haring’s Iconic Carousel

The Carousel designed by Keith Haring is a burst of brightly colored, kinetic Pop Art. Instead of traditional horses, the ride features three-dimensional versions of the iconic characters from Haring’s graphic line drawings, including his famous Radiant Baby and barking dogs. Visitors can walk through and around this playful, joyous installation, which turns a classic fairground ride into a celebration of contemporary street art and Pop Art principles.

Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist Dalídom Pavilion

Stepping into Salvador Dalí’s contribution, the Dalídom Pavilion, is like entering a waking dream. This reflective pavilion is a surrealist funhouse, expanding on the themes from his earlier *Dream of Venus* funhouse designed for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The interior is a disorienting, mirrored space that plays with perception and reality, inviting visitors to become part of the surrealist spectacle.

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Roy Lichtenstein’s Perfect/Imperfect Labyrinth

Pop Art master Roy Lichtenstein contributed the exterior panels for a Glass Labyrinth (or mirrored glass maze). The panels are designed in the style of his 1985 "Perfect/Imperfect" series, utilizing his signature Ben-Day dots and bold outlines. The structure transforms the simple act of navigating a maze into an immersive experience within a large-scale, three-dimensional comic book panel.

Visitor’s Guide to Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy at The Shed

The exhibition, subtitled *Forgotten Fantasy*, offers an experience that has been described as both "joyfully nostalgic and yet mysteriously foreign." It is an interactive exhibition that blurs the lines between a traditional gallery showing and a theatrical, immersive experience, making it one of the coolest art exhibitions to open in New York City in recent memory.

Location and Logistics

Luna Luna is hosted at The Shed, a dynamic cultural center known for its innovative telescoping architecture, located in the Hudson Yards neighborhood of Manhattan. The specific venue is the Level 2 Gallery and The McCourt. The exhibition is a limited-time engagement, underscoring the urgency for art enthusiasts and curious onlookers to plan their visit before the final closing date in March 2025.

• Venue: The Shed (Level 2 Gallery and The McCourt)
• Address: 545 West 30th Street, New York, NY
• Experience: Interactive, immersive, multi-sensory, and a blend of art and theater.
• Tickets: Must be purchased in advance via The Shed's official website.

The Full Roster of Visionary Entities

While Basquiat, Haring, Dalí, and Lichtenstein are the headliners, the depth of the exhibition lies in the contributions of over 30 other world-renowned artists. This extensive roster cements the exhibition’s powerful topical authority on 20th-century avant-garde art. The entire park is a collective masterpiece featuring:

• Sonia Delaunay: Designed the colorful Entrance Gate.
• David Hockney: Contributed a Pavilion.
• August Walla: Hand-painted a Circus Wagon.
• Hubert Aratym: Created a Pavilion with face-in-hole paintings.
• Christian Ludwig Attersee: Designed a Boat Swing Ride.
• Georg Baselitz: Provided a Hand-painted Pavilion.
• Kenny Scharf: Contributed a Painted Chair.
• Other Notable Artists: Erté, Manfred Deix, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, Gerti Fröhlich, Monika Gilsing, and composer Philipp Glass.

Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy is more than just an art exhibit; it is a meticulously restored piece of art history, a time capsule from the 1980s that brings together Pop Art, Surrealism, and Neo-Expressionism in a uniquely accessible and joyous format. The sheer scale and quality of the works, now on display at The Shed, solidify its status as a landmark cultural event. Whether you are a fan of Basquiat's raw genius, Haring's playful lines, or Dalí's surrealist landscapes, this is a truly unforgettable experience that must be seen to be believed before the curtain closes in 2025.