Kaws's work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the beginning of his career in the 1990s, initially painted in 2D and later realized in 3D.
22 Facts About Kaws
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Kaws's influences come from traditional high art painters like Gerhard Richter, Claes Oldenburg, and Chuck Close, and he has been compared to the likes of Andy Warhol for his cross-market appeal and ability to blur lines between commercial and fine art.
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Kaws's work is exhibited in galleries and museums, held in the permanent collections of public institutions, and avidly collected by individuals including music producer Swizz Beatz, internet figure PewDiePie, rappers Pharrell Williams, Kid Cudi, and members of South Korean group BTS.
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Kaws went on to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York City, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration in 1996.
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Animator by day, and graffiti artist by night, Kaws started subvertising billboards, bus shelters, and phone booths, using a skeleton key gifted to him by friend and fellow graffiti artist Barry McGee.
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Kaws has since subvertised in Paris, London, Berlin, and Tokyo.
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Kaws's Companion is a grayscale clown-like figure based on Mickey Mouse with his face obscured by both hands, and two bones sticking out of his head.
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Kaws has periodically shown both paintings and products at Colette in Paris since 1999.
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Kaws's work was included in the traveling exhibition Beautiful Losers, which started at the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center and traveled throughout the US and Europe, including his then-largest museum show to date at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, GA in 2012.
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On May 2,2023, Kaws scored a major legal victory against a Singaporean man who he accused of counterfeiting, with others, replicas of the artist's signature "Companion" figure and other toys, skateboards, and artworks.
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Since the beginning of their partnership in 2001, Nigo and Kaws have collaborated on the packaging for Kaws's "The Kimpsons" exhibit and three seasons of A Bathing Ape.
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Kaws has recently contributed a lot to the Hip Hop community with merch lines associated with artists such as Travis Scott with his April 2021 single "The Scotts" featuring Kid Cudi who has has been working closely with Brian in recent merchandise releases.
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In 2011, Kaws appeared on the Bravo reality competition series Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, where he was a guest judge for the Season 2 finale.
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In 2014, Kaws designed the bottle artwork for the scent Girl, by Comme des Garcons and Pharrell Williams.
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In 2016, Kaws entered into an ongoing relationship with clothing store Uniqlo to produce a line of affordable T-shirts and accessories; the first line was clothing and soft toys based on the popular children's show Sesame Street.
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In May 2018, Kaws installed two 26-foot tall Companion and BFF sculptures at a shopping complex in Changsha, China.
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In October 2019, Kaws unveiled "Waiting", a sculpture in Greenpoint, Brooklyn located in front of 21 India Street.
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In July 2022, Kaws collaborated with J-Hope, one of the members of BTS, for his solo album cover.
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Comic book artist Bill Morrison felt "ripped off" by Kaws's 2005 work The Kaws Album because the work was simply a "traced interpretation of my Simpsons Yellow Album", which itself was a parody of the cover art for the Beatles album Sgt.
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Kaws is given credit for being modest about his work and admitting that it is not worth the high prices brought upon resale.
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In May 2017, UK auction house Phillips sold a Kaws Seated Companion bronze sculpture for approximately US $411,000.
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Kaws's work is held in the following permanent public collections:.