KAWS – American Artist and Designer

Classic Companion figures by artist KAWS

When talking about contemporary art in America, few artists have made their mark as indelibly as KAWS.

Born as Brian Donnelly, KAWS has become virtually synonymous with modern art, thanks to his cheeky characters, bold motifs, and fusion with pop culture.

KAWS’ work is remarkable because it has a distinct dichotomy of lightheartedness combined with existential dread.

The bright colors and cartoonish figures connote happiness, while the subject matter is often somewhat dreary. But, if that’s not a perfect reflection of the modern American dream, we don’t know what is.

Early Life and Education

Brian Donnelly was born in New Jersey in 1974. It was in high school that Donnelly came up with his artistic moniker KAWS.

One might assume that there’s some deeper meaning behind the name or that it’s an acronym of something.

However, Donnelly’s reasons were far more superficial – KAWS just looked cool. The word seemed so cool, in fact, that Donnelly painted it on the roof of a nearby building so that he could look at it while going to school.

For higher education, KAWS attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus on illustration when he graduated in 1996.

Post-graduation, KAWs briefly worked for the animation studio Jumbo Pictures. There, he worked on such projects as 101 Dalmatians, Doug, and Daria.

He wasn’t doing the animation itself, though. Instead, he painted the backgrounds for numerous scenes.

Being in New York City in the 1990s meant that KAWS was exposed to lots of graffiti. It was on the streets where he first perfected his craft.

He would work his regular job during the day, then go to NYC’s seedy underbelly to put his artwork on buildings, alleyways, and other city surfaces. Presumably, these areas were much different from the roof where KAWS put his namesake.

Lost Time by artist KAWS

Style of Art

It’s unclear whether KAWS’ style was influenced by his time at the animation studio or the other way around.

However, what is clear is that KAWS uses strong lines, bold colors, and cartoonish details in his work. One element that KAWS repeats in his art is putting Xs over his character’s eyes and hands, signifying death.

Most of his characterizations are also shy and powerless, as evidenced by their poses. In many cases, the characters sit with their heads in their hands, or their bodies are slumped in a look of defeat.

Blame Game Full Set by artist KAWS

Collaborations

Collaboration is the name of the game with KAWS. The list of collaborators is too long to mention them all here, but let’s dive into some notable excerpts from the artist’s history, such as:

Bounty Hunter

This collaboration (1999) was KAWS’ first foray into toy-making. This vinyl figurine was made by the Japanese clothier Bounty Hunter, and it depicts KAWS’ most famous character, Companion.

Toys and figurines are like bread and butter for KAWS, and he has produced quite a few more over the years.

Dos Equis and Hennessy

The X’s on KAWS’ character’s eyes almost look like the ones you might find on a cartoon bottle of moonshine. So, it makes sense that the artist collaborated with two major alcohol brands.

For Dos Equis, the company leaned heavily on the X motif, creating brown and green bottles covered with Xs.

Hennessy went a more colorful route, allowing KAWS to design a vibrant and colorful label. Still, the Xs were on the front where the stamp usually goes.

MTV Movie Awards

In 2013, KAWS collaborated with MTV to redesign their “Moonman” award figurine. KAWS transformed the astronaut into a spacefaring version of his Companion character.

At the event, the artist also helped design a 60-foot tall inflatable version of the figure.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

In 2017, MoMA decided to sell $200 figurines of KAWS’ Companion figurine. While this may sound like a lot, these pieces often sell for three or five times as much.

The museum’s website crashed because of an onslaught of orders, illustrating KAWS’s impact on the mainstream.

In addition to these collaborations, KAWS has also put his mark on many pop culture icons, including Pinocchio, The Simpsons, Tweety Bird, Mickey Mouse, Boba Fett, and more.

Famous Artwork

As with collaborations, there are far too many pieces to list here. Instead, let’s focus on some of the top artworks by KAWS.

Companion Skeleton

Companion Skeleton by artist KAWS

By far, the most well-known image associated with KAWS is his Companion character. This single design has permeated much of the artist’s works, and it’s arguably the basis for his rise to the mainstream.

In this case, we get to peek behind the skin and see the Companion Skeleton. The design is similar to the hanging skeletons you might find in a Halloween store. The limbs can bend and move, and each skeleton is brightly colored with neon hues.

Despite its gaunt appearance, the Companion still has its trademark skull and crossbones head, along with X-covered gloves and shoes.

Urge Cover Page

Urge series cover page by artist KAWS

The Urge series is a collection of close-up images of the Companion with multiple gloved hands reaching across its face. This piece is the cover page for the collection.

It’s simple yet effective, with a typeface that harkens back to KAWS’ street art roots. The word urge looks like it was drawn with sidewalk chalk, and its frenetic positioning gives the 2D piece some extra life.

Urge Untitled IV

Urge Untitled IV by artist KAWS

Each piece within the Urge series includes the Companion’s head and four gloves reaching across. In this version, the head is purple, and the hands are pink, orange, light purple, and red.

This piece is an original silkscreen print on paper, and it uses classic coloring and crosshatch shading to give the artwork a timeless appearance.

Urge Untitled X

Urge Untitled X by artist KAWS

Although this piece has sold, there are other works within the Urge series that you can bid on. Each one is unique and colorful, creating a show-stopping centerpiece for any wall.

KAWS – A Contributor of Art In Public Spaces

“WAITING” On Greenpoint Waterfront

Waiting on Greenpoint Waterfront by artist KAWS

In Oct 2019, KAWS unveiled his large-scale sculpture WAITING, a 20-feet tall, bronze color “Companion figures” at “The Greenpoint” development at the India Street waterfront.

When asked about the idea behind art, KAWS said, “My wife was often taking the ferry, and I was waiting for her to arrive. That’s where the title WAITING came from”.

He adds, “I hope when people pass the sculpture, it takes them out of their routine commute and leads them to new thoughts and puts them in touch with their surroundings in a new way.”

Expanded Holiday

Expanded Holiday by artist KAWS

For the launch of the Expanded Holiday, a series of augmented reality (AR), KAWS collaborated with acute art, a VR & AR art production platform.

The AR sculptures were publicly exhibited for the audience in major cities and locations of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America in March 2020.

The sculpture appears on Hong Kong waters

Companion water sculpture on Hong Kong Victoria Harbor channel by artist KAWS

In 2019, KAWS introduced his signature character, “Companion” to Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor channel. It is an inflatable sculpture, 37-meter-long and weighing more than 40 tons, lying gently in the water, arms stretched out and facing the sky.

After being asked about the idea behind this Act he said, “I wanted to create a work that was really about just relaxing — taking time for yourself and just laying down and looking up”.

Massive Companion Sculptures in China

Massive Companion Sculptures in China by artist KAWs

KAWS introduced his Massive Companion sculptures in 2018, China. He took to Instagram to announce the permanent installment of these sculptures.

The statues are placed on the top of the Changsha IFS Tower in Hunan, a blue BFF and the original grey variant both sitting on the edge of the newly constructed skyscraper.

Holiday Space

Holiday Space sculpture by KAWS

On Monday 17th August 2020, when the whole world was undergoing the pandemic, KAWS came up with the idea of Holiday Space.

The artist launched his iconic Companion figure into space, in celebration of the character’s 20th anniversary with the collaboration of All Rights Reserved.

An 18-foot Sculpture at Rockefeller Center

Share sculpture in Rockefeller Center by artist KAWS

Share 18-foot tall bronze sculpture, was launched in 2021, displaying at Rockefeller Center, featuring his two signature figures Companion and BFF.

It represents the search for comfort that everyone needs from their family and friends in this difficult time. “Companion’s familiarity soothes just as we all feel the tug of BFF who is clutched somewhat wantonly,” as a press release describes.

View our currently available works of art by KAWS or contact us at Dane Fine Art for assistance. We are happy to answer any questions and help you find the artwork you are looking for.

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