KAWS Black BFF Companion
View Similar Items
KAWSKAWS Black BFF Companion2017
2017
About the Item
- Creator:KAWS (American)
- Creation Year:2017
- Dimensions:Height: 13 in (33.02 cm)Width: 5.7 in (14.48 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:NEW YORK, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU35434421591
KAWS
In the beginning, Brian Donnelly was just a kid from Jersey City, New Jersey, who got into the graffiti thing. KAWS was his tag, chosen simply because he liked the way it looked. Today, KAWS’s oeuvre encompasses art toys, sculptures and colorful paintings and prints that appropriate pop phenomena like the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants.
In the late 1990s, the artist, a 1996 graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, was making a living as an illustrator for the animation studio Jumbo Pictures. Like young Hansel and Gretel with their trail of crumbs, KAWS would mark the morning route to his downtown Manhattan office with “subvertising,” “interrupting” fashion advertisements by adding his colorful character Bendy, its sinuous length sliding playfully around the likes of a Calvin Klein perfume bottle or supermodel Christy Turlington.
These creations gained a following, to the point where work posted in the morning would disappear by lunchtime. Even in those early days, KAWS was hot on the resale market.
“When I was doing graffiti,” he once explained, “it meant nothing to me to make paintings if I wasn’t reaching people.” Instead of seeking entrée to the elite New York art world (which, frankly, wasn’t looking for a street artist anyway), KAWS moved to Japan, where a flourishing youth culture welcomed visionaries like him.
In 1999, he partnered with Bounty Hunter, a Japanese toy and streetwear brand, to release his first toy. Companion — an eight-inch-tall vinyl reimagining of Mickey Mouse, with a skull-and-crossbones head and trademark XX eyes — debuted with a limited run of 500. It sold out quickly.
Companion was the first of more than 130 toy designs, which came to include such characters as Chum, Blitz, Be@rbrick, BFF and Milo, each immediately recognizable as KAWS figures by their XX eyes. Fans have proved insatiable. In 2017, MoMA’s online store announced the availability of a limited supply of KAWS Companion figures; as avid collectors logged on to stake their claim, the website crashed — multiple times.
Companion is the most visible of the KAWS posse, appearing over the past decade in new postures and combinations in monumental works. These include Along the Way (2013), an 18-foot-tall wooden sculpture of two Companions leaning on each other for support; Together (2016), two Companions in a friendly embrace, which debuted during an exhibition of KAWS’s work at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, in Texas; and KAWS:HOLIDAY (2018), a 92-foot-long inflatable Companion floating on its back in Seoul’s Seokchon Lake. The sculptures were re-created as toys, blurring the lines between art and commerce.
KAWS’s visual language may be drawn from cartoons, but his work doesn’t necessarily evoke childlike joy. “My figures are not always reflecting the idealistic cartoon view that I grew up on,” he explains in the catalogue for the Fort Worth exhibition. “Companion is more real in dealing with contemporary human circumstances . . . . I think when I’m making work it also often mirrors what’s going on with me at that time.”
KAWS's résumé reads like a record of major 21st-century pop-culture moments. It includes his work with streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Supreme; his design for the cover of Kanye West’s 2008 album, 808s & Heartbreak; and his collaboration with designer Kim Jones on the Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2019 collection, Jones’s debut as the fashion brand’s creative director.
Learn how to spot a fake KAWS art toy, and browse authentic KAWS prints, sculptures and mixed media works on 1stDibs.
- Warhol Basquiat Bearbrick 400% companion (Warhol Basquiat BE@RBRICK)By after Jean-Michel BasquiatLocated in NEW YORK, NYAndy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat Bearbrick Vinyl Figures: Set of two (400% & 100%) A unique, timeless collectible trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat & And...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsVinyl, Resin
- KAWS SMALL LIE Brown (KAWS brown companion)By KAWSLocated in NEW YORK, NYKAWS SMALL LIE Brown: Among KAWS’s signature “Companions,” Small Lie has the most childlike resonance. Clothed in overall shorts, the Pinocchio-inspired figure bows its head in shame as if hiding from a parent after creating trouble. KAWS debuted this character at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2016, as a 30-foot-tall version made of African hardwood. The following year, KAWS released 11-inch grey, brown, and black versions of the figure, produced in collaboration with Medicom Toy. Medium: Painted vinyl cast resin. Year: 2017. Dimensions: 11 × 4.5 inches. New/unopened; excellent condition. Stamped on the underside of foot from a sold out edition of unknown. Published by Medicom Japan. KAWS (b. 1974, Jersey City, New Jersey; lives and works in Brooklyn, New York) is renowned for his prolific body of work that straddles the worlds of art and design to include paintings, murals, graphic and product design, street art, and large-scale sculptures. Over the last two decades KAWS has built a successful career with work that consistently shows his formal agility as an artist, as well as his underlying wit, irreverence, and affection for our times. His refined graphic language revitalizes figuration with both standout gestures and playful intricacies. KAWS often appropriates and draws inspiration from pop culture animations, forming a unique artistic vocabulary across mediums. Admired for his larger-than-life sculptures and precise paintings that emphasize line and color, KAWS’s cast of hybrid cartoon characters are the strongest examples of his exploration of humanity. As seen in his collaborations with global brands, the artist’s imagery possesses a sophisticated humor and reveals a thoughtful interplay with consumer products. With their broad appeal, KAWS’s artworks are highly sought-after by collectors inside and outside of the art world, establishing him as a uniquely prominent artist and influence in today’s culture. Related Categories KAWS Companion. Shepard Fairey. Street Art. Damien Hirst. KAWS Pinocchio...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
- KAWS Companions 2016: set of 2 (KAWS brown companions)By KAWSLocated in NEW YORK, NYBrown KAWS Companions: Set of 2. Each, new and sealed in their original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: Where The End Starts at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in 2016. These figurines have since sold out. Medium: Vinyl paint, cast resin. Year: 2016. Dimensions: 11 × 5 × 3 in (applies to each individual) New/unopened; excellent condition. Stamped by artist on underside of each foot; from an edition of unknown. KAWS 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...Category
2010s Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
- Keith Haring Bearbrick 400% Companion (Haring BE@RBRICK)By (after) Keith HaringLocated in NEW YORK, NYKeith Haring Bearbrick Vinyl Figures: Set of two (400% & 100%): A unique, timeless collectible trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Keith Haring. The partnered collectible reveals...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsVinyl, Resin
$320 Sale Price46% Off - KAWS Companions 2016: set of 2 (KAWS flayed companions)By KAWSLocated in NEW YORK, NYKAWS Flayed Companion: Set of 2. Each, new and sealed in their original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: Where The End Starts at the Mo...Category
2010s Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
- Hebru Brantley Flyboy (Hebru Brantley art toy)By Hebru BrantleyLocated in NEW YORK, NYHebru Brantley Flyboy Pop Art Sculpture / Hebru Brantley Beyond the Beyond, 2018. New in its original packaging. Medium: Painted cast vinyl. Dimensions: 9 x 8 x 4 inches (22.9 x 20...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsVinyl, Resin
- street art artist Bustart "Skate Pop Love" Pop Art print on skatedeckBy BustartLocated in New York, NYSkatedeck edition of 100 - wrapped in plastic In 1999 BustArt began his artistic career with classic Graffiti. Until 2005, he became familiar with the whole spectrum of Graffiti and...Category
2010s Street Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsAcrylic, Wood Panel
- Julian Opie, Male Walker (Grey) - Contemporary Sculpture, British Pop ArtBy Julian OpieLocated in Hamburg, DEJulian Opie (British, b. 1958) Male Walker - Grey, 2020 Medium: Laser cut acrylic, two-part statuette Figure measures: 25 x 11.5 x 0.5 cm Base measures: 7.5 x 5 x 1 cm Edition size:...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsAcrylic Polymer
- Red Diamond - porcelain limited edition sculptureBy Jeff KoonsLocated in London, GBJeff Koons Diamond (Red), 2020 porcelain 31.8 x 39.3 x 32 cm edition of 599Category
2010s Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPorcelain
Price Upon Request - Le gourmandBy Bengt LindströmLocated in Malmo, SEFree shipment worldwide. Edition of 12 ex. Signed/Numbered. Bengt Lindström was a big man from the central parts of the Norrland province, born in Storsjö Kapell on 3 September 1925...Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsCeramic
- Do It YourselfBy Gunter UeckerLocated in London, GBHammer and two nails on wood board, 1930, signed in pencil, from an unknown edition size, published by Edition VICE-Versand, Remscheid, Germany, overall sizes: 34 x 16.5 x 7.8 cm. (1...Category
1930s Op Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsWood
- Dancer II, Alex KatzBy Alex KatzLocated in New York, NYCreated as a three-dimensional cut-out on aluminum by Alex Katz in 2020, Dancer II is printed the same on each side with UV-cured archival inks and mounted on an aluminum base. With...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsArchival Ink
Price Upon Request
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How to Spot a Fake KAWS Figure
KAWS art toys have developed an avid audience in recent decades, and as in any robust collectible market, counterfeiters have followed the mania. Of course, you don’t have to worry about that on 1stDibs, where all our sellers are highly vetted.
KAWS Is Having a Major Effect on Popular Culture, Whether on the Street or in Museums
From graffiti tagger to hypebeast obsession to auction hero — we chart the artist’s rise and his widening influence.