“The Art of Whipped Cream,” an exhibition of drawings, sketches and paintings by Mark Ryden, is at Paul Kasmin Gallery through July 21. Ryden created this work for the American Ballet Theatre’s production of Whipped Cream, an adaptation of a 1924 Richard Strauss ballet about a boy who eats too much candy and, in the delirium of a world-class sugar high, dreams that his dessert has come to life. Ryden designed props, costumes, and backdrops for the production, combining sugary pinks and pastels with a darker palette of grays and neutrals. The result: a candy land that threatens to become sickeningly sweet.

Mark Ryden, Princess Praline and Her Entourage, 2017, oil on canvas, 15″ x 52″.

Tea Flower alternate, 2016, oil on panel, 17″ x 11″.

Nurse Corps de Ballet, 2016, oil on panel, 17″ x 11″.

Nicolo, 2016, oil on panel, 26″ x 11″.

Hospital, 2016, oil on panel, 23″ x 32″

Dessert Counter, 2016, oil on panel, 18″ x 24″.

Princess Praline’s Procession, 2016, oil on panel, 17 1/2″ x 23 1/2″.