Kaws

For other uses, see KAWS (disambiguation).
Kaws
Born
Brian Donnelly

November 4, 1974
Jersey City, New Jersey, US
EducationSchool of Visual Arts
Known forPainting, graphic design, sculpture, graffiti, toys, collectibles
Notable workCompanion
Websitekawsone.com

Brian Donnelly (born November 4, 1974), known professionally as Kaws (stylized as KAWS), is an American artist and designer. His work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the beginning of his career in the 1990s,[1] initially painted in 2D and later realized in 3D. Some of his characters are his own creations while others are reworked versions of existing icons.

Kaws's sculptures range in size from a few inches to ten meters tall,[1] and are made from various materials including fiberglass, aluminum, wood, bronze, and a steel pontoon inflatable raft.[2][3]

Kaws's influences come from traditional high art painters like Gerhard Richter, Claes Oldenburg, and Chuck Close,[4] and he has been compared to the likes of Andy Warhol[5][6] for his cross-market appeal and ability to blur lines between commercial and fine art. His work is exhibited in galleries and museums, held in the permanent collections of public institutions, and avidly collected by individuals[7] including music producer Swizz Beatz, internet figure PewDiePie, rappers Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi,[8] and members of South Korean group BTS. A number of books illustrating his work have been published.

Kaws lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, creating sculptures, acrylic paintings on canvas, and screen prints while also collaborating commercially, predominantly on limited edition toys, but also clothing, skateboard decks, and other products. KAWS is represented by Skarstedt Gallery, New York.

  1. ^ a b "Pop artist KAWS' gigantic cartoon sculptures will be taking over the Yorkshire countryside". The Independent, 31 January 2016. Accessed 25 March 2017
  2. ^ "KAWS brings giant cartoon creations to Yorkshire Sculpture Park". Creative Review, 4 February 2016. Accessed 25 March 2017
  3. ^ Chung, Stephy (March 25, 2019). "Enormous KAWS sculpture appears on Hong Kong waters it". CNN.com. CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  4. ^ "KAWS biography | Masters & Contemporary". Masterscontemporary.com. June 10, 2011. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Smart, Jennifer (October 4, 2016). "KAWS' Art Has Graced Museums and Consumer Products, and Now He Gets His First Survey". Dallas Observer. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference bloomberg-youtube was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Nastasijevic, Asja (June 18, 2015). "Celebrity Art Collectors: 10 Celebrities from Hollywood". Widewalls. Retrieved March 21, 2019.