KAWSKAWS Clean Slate Set of 2 (KAWS clean slate brown & grey)2018
2018

About the Item
- Creator:KAWS (American)
- Creation Year:2018
- Dimensions:Height: 14.25 in (36.2 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:NEW YORK, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU35438405332
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.
Shipping & Returns
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return Policy
This item cannot be returned.
- Andy Warhol Marilyn Bearbrick 400% Companion (Warhol BE@RBRICK 400%)By (after) Andy WarholLocated in NEW YORK, NYAndy Warhol Marilyn Bearbrick Vinyl Figures: Set of two (400% & 100%): A unique, timeless Andy Warhol Marilyn collectible trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Andy Warhol. The par...Category
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- KAWS Bearbrick Set of 3 (KAWS Be@rbrick 400% dissected companions)By KAWSLocated in NEW YORK, NYKAWS Bearbrick 400%; A set of 3 KAWS Dissected Bearbrick Companions, 2008-2010. Each a collaboration between KAWS' OriginalFake brand and Medicom; these much sought-after KAWS Be@rbrick figures are made from cast vinyl and features the artist's signature "X" for each eye as well as move-able arms, legs, and hands. KAWS stamp found on underside of feet; each accompanied by its original box complete with original holograms. A fantastic limited edition KAWS collector's set that works well in any setting. Medium: Vinyl Figurine. Figures: 11 x 5.25 x 4 in (27.94 x 13.34 x 10.16 cm) each. Boxes: 11.5 x 6 x 4.5 in (29.21 x 15.24 x 11.43 cm) each. Condition of Figurines: - Brown: Very good overall condition with the exception of some tiny black specs in a few areas. - Black: Very good overall condition with the exception of some minor shelf-wear to base of one foot. - Grey: Figurine is new/excellent housed in its original packaging. Boxes: each contain some minor shelf-wear; in otherwise very good overall condition. Stamped on the underside of feet. From a limited edition of approximately 1000 each. Published by Medicom Toy and OriginalFake, Tokyo. Obtained from a well established New York private collection. Original holograms present on verso of box. Further Background: BE@RBRICKs are a form of collectible toy that resemble a cross between LEGO and well, a bear. These block-style figurines boast teddy bear-style heads that have become an integral pillar of the collectible toy scene. In fact, it wouldn’t be so far-fetched to say that it almost single-handedly carved out the fad of toy collecting in modern times, treading the very fine line between toy and art. Since its inception, BE@RBRICKs have become one of the most recognizable characters in the world, and some of the most sought after. 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. Related Categories Shepard Fairey. Street Art. Damien Hirst. KAWS companion. KAWS Star Wars. Black KAWS. Takashi Murakami. Hebru Brantley. Art toys. KAWS Dissected Companion...Category
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- Basquiat Bearbrick 1000%: set of 2 works (Basquiat BE@RBRICK)By after Jean-Michel BasquiatLocated in NEW YORK, NYJean-Michel Basquiat Bearbrick 1000% Figures: Set of two works: Unique, timeless collectibles trademarked & licensed by the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat This set reveals details fr...Category
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- Daft Punk Bearbrick 400% Discovery Tour set (Be@rbrick Daft Punk Discovery set)Located in NEW YORK, NYDaft Punk Bearbrick Discovery Tour Suit 400% Set by Medicom. Figurines: 11x5 inches (applies to each individual). New/unopened in original packaging (box may contain some minor shelf-wear). From a sold out limited edition of unknown. This 2 pack Be@rbrick 400% set features Daft Punk icons: Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter dressed in their (2001) Discovery album tour outfits & iconic metallic styled silver & gold helmets...Category
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$350 Sale Price22% Off
- KAWS - Companion Blush (Flayed), 2017 - Painted Cast VinylBy KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXThis is a brand new, in its original packaged, never open. Perfect condition. KAWS's cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his ea...Category
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- KAWS - Small Lie - Brown VersionBy KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXIn December 2017, KAWS released a new version of his classic companion character, titled "Small Lie". The figure features the companion slumped over in what appears to be a disappoin...Category
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- KAWS - Along The Way - Black, Brown and Grey Version (set of 3)By KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXKAWS Along The Way (Set of 3), Black, Brown and Grey versions. New & unopened in its original packaging. Medium: Vinyl & Cast Resin Provenance: Modern Art Museum of Fort WorthCategory
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- KAWS - Small Lie - Black VersionBy KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXIn December 2017, KAWS released a new version of his classic companion character, titled "Small Lie". The figure features the companion slumped over in what appears to be a disappoin...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
- KAWS - Set of 2 Companion Blush (Flayed) and Companion Blush- Painted Cast VinylBy KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXThis is a brand new, in its original packaged, never open. Perfect condition. KAWS's cartoonish style—including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes—has its roots in his ea...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
- KAWS - Holiday UK - Set of 3 Painted Cast Vinyl / Brown, Grey and Black versionBy KAWSLocated in Dallas, TXThis is a brand new, in its original packaged, never open. Perfect condition, except the case for the Brown version has 2 slight cracks. The actual figure is in perfect condition. K...Category
2010s Pop Art Figurative Sculptures
MaterialsResin, Vinyl
$1,480 Sale Price20% Off
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How to Spot a Fake KAWS Art Toy
Figurines by KAWS have found an eager audience in recent decades, and as with any robust collectibles market, counterfeit versions 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.
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