Born Brian Donnelly in 1974 in New Jersey, artist and designer Kaws studied illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. After graduating, he worked briefly as a freelance illustrator on Disney’s 101 Dalmatians and the animated series Daria and Doug. He began using the name Kaws as a young graffiti artist in Jersey City. It was not until after he relocated to New York City in the 1990s that he began employing “subvertising,” a practice of parodying and spoofing corporate and political advertisements on billboards, phone booths, and bus shelters; his subvertising has appeared in cities around the world, including London, Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo. As the popularity of these works increased Kaws would begin producing public installations in addition to street art. For example, KAWS: Holiday, an enormous version of his Companion figure, floated in Victoria Harbor for Art Basel Hong Kong. Bearing many of the stylistic hallmarks of Pop art, such as the inclusion of characters from Disney and SpongeBob SquarePants as well as iconic advertisement personas like the Michelin Man, Kaws’s paintings, prints, and sculptures have been compared to those of Takashi Murakami and Jeff Koons. One such pop painting is THE KAWS ALBUM (2005) featuring his parody of The Simpsons renamed as The Kimpsons, all posed to recreate The Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. This referential piece went on to fetch $14.8 million at auction. His method of repeating iconic imagery is an attempt to make works universally understood, to transcend both language and culture. Further obscuring the boundary between subvertisement and advertisement in the art world, Kaws has undertaken several commercial collaborations, beginning with the production of a vinyl toy for the Japanese clothing brand Bounty Hunter alongside Medicom Toys. Other notable collaborations have included the redesign of the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards statuette, a unisex perfume with Pharrell Williams and Comme des Garcons, and an affordable t-shirt and accessories collection for the clothing brand Uniqlo in 2016. In addition to his avid popularity with streetwear art collectors, Kaws’s works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Kaws’s work has become increasingly popular, and according to Sotheby’s Mei Moses, the average compound annual return for Kaws is 16.2%, with 100% of works increasing in value.

KAWS

COMPANION figurines by artist KAWS.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>Part of an open edition of unknown size.</li><li>Stamped on each underside.</li><li>Unopened and in original packaging.</li><li>Figures appear in shades of brown, grey and beige.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul>

COMPANION Set

Companion toys in black by KAWS.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>Each stamped on the underside.</li><li>Included the following figures: Clean Slate, Along The Way, Holiday Space 2020, What Party, Holiday Taipei, Share, Separated, BFF, KAWS 2020 and Small Lie.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul>

Companions Black

Complete set of three KAWS SHARE figurative sculptures.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>Stamped on the underside of each foot.</li><li>From a sold-out edition of unknown size.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul> KAWS SHARE first appeared in&nbsp;BLACKOUT&nbsp;— the first London solo exhibition by KAWS (Skarstedt London 2019). In SHARE, KAWS uses two of his characters to convey opposing human attitudes, whereby the Companion is secure and looks outward, holding but not attached to the toy in its hand. Of recent note, KAWS SHARE was open to public display in New York's famed Rockefeller Center (in August 2021).

SHARE Companion Set

Collection of Companions in black by KAWS.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 10.</li><li>Includes the following figures: Gone, Along The Way, Small Lie, Share, Separated, Holiday Singapore, Holiday United Kingdom, Holiday Taipei, Together and Holiday Changbai.</li><li>Each is stamped on the underside.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul>

Complete set of Companion figures by artist KAWS.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 6.</li><li>From a sold-out edition of an unknown size.</li><li>Stamped on each underside.</li><li>Each new and sealed in original packaging.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul> Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition,&nbsp;KAWS: Where The End Starts&nbsp;at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. Set includes 3 colors: Black, Brown and Grey, each in two variations (KAWS Full Body and KAWS Dissected). A leading artist of his generation, Brooklyn-based KAWS engages audiences beyond the museums and galleries in which he regularly exhibits. KAWS is perhaps best known for his iconic character, Companion, which is featured in key paintings, sculptures, products and toy figures. KAWS’ art possesses a sophisticated humor and thoughtful critique of consumer products. His bold, high-minded graphic language revitalizes figuration with big, bold gestures and keen, playful intricacy.

Companion Complete Set

Holiday Plush Companions by KAWS, released in 2019.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 3.</li><li>Plush "Companion" figures in black, grey and brown colorways.</li><li>From a sold-out edition of 2,000.</li><li>Accompanied by an edition card numbered 1001/2000.</li><li>Embroidered artist signature on foot of each figure.</li><li>Made in China.</li></ul> This item ships from Hong Kong; applicable import duties, taxes, or fees may be assessed by the destination country. Domestic alternatives may be available.

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