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 creates all kinds of art — there are KAWS figures and toys, sculptures and colorful drawings, 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 KAWS statues and other 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 figures, prints, sculptures and mixed media works on 1stDibs.
KAWS Companion 2016 (set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Companion 2016:Set of 2 works. Each new and sealed in its original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: Where The End Starts at the Mo...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Singapore (KAWS Holiday companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black Holiday Companion (KAWS Singapore): This standout KAWS art toy features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a resting position. Published to commemorate the debut of K...
Resin, Vinyl
$2,595Sale Price|25% Off
KAWS -- Bendy (Green)
By KAWS
Located in BRUCE, ACT
KAWS Bendy (Green) 2003 Painted vinyl 35.6 x 7.6 cm Stamped to the reverse Limited edition of 500 Coming in its original box
Vinyl
Seeing Blue (BFF Lamp) By Kaws
By KAWS
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Seeing Blue (BFF Lamp) By Kaws KAWS, the pseudonym of American artist Brian Donnelly, is widely recognized for his distinctive blend of street art and pop culture iconography. Ren...
Holiday Big Moon By KAWS
By KAWS
Located in Dubai, Dubai
Holiday Big Moon By KAWS KAWS, the pseudonym of American artist Brian Donnelly, is widely recognized for his distinctive blend of street art and pop culture iconography. Renowned f...
Mixed Media
KAWS Fellows Blue (blue KAWS Fellows companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Fellows (Blue): This standout KAWS art toy features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a uniquely severed position. Published on occasion of KAWS’ 2026 exhibition at Space K...
Resin, Vinyl
MBF: 'Man's Best Friend' V Silkscreen Print, Signed, 2016, Framed
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
The specific information regarding edition will be provided at the time of sale. Please contact the seller for more details. The ‘Man's Best Friend' V by KAWS is a signed, numbered,...
Screen
KAWS TIME OFF pink (KAWS Time Off companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TIME OFF: A highly decorative KAWS Companion featuring KAWS’ much popularized BFF Companion in a resting position. This brightly colored, highly collectible KAWS Companion was p...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Companion 2016 (set of 3 KAWS Flayed companions)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Flayed Companion 2016: Set of 3 individual works. KAWS Black Flayed, KAWS Brown Flayed & KAWS Grey Flayed Companions - each, new and sealed in origin...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Red Blush companions (complete set of 2 works KAWS Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Red Blush Companions: complete set of 2 works: New and sealed in their original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: Where The End Sta...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM companion (KAWS orange Chum)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (orange): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and shipping the first CHU...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM pink (KAWS Chum pink)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (pink): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and shipping the first CHUM ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY companion (KAWS Companion 2020)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY (yellow): KAWS yellow WHAT PARTY Companion featuring KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural v...
Resin, Vinyl
Man's Best Friend Full Set, Contemporary, Framed, 2010s, 35x22 in
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
KAWS, born 1974 in New Jersey, is a multi- faceted New York based artist. KAWS began his career as a graffiti artist in Jersey City, taking to the streets at night and painting over ...
Screen
$1,160Sale Price|29% Off
KAWS - Share Figure - Brown Version _Brand new collectible
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
KAWS SHARE (Brown version), new & unopened in its original packaging: KAWS SHARE first appeared in 'BLACKOUT' – the first London solo exhibition by KAWS (Skarstedt London 2019). In S...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Black Companion 2016: set of 2 works (KAWS Companion black)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Companion, Black Flayed & Black full body 2016 (set of 2 individual pieces). Each new and sealed in original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibi...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM black (KAWS Chum Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (black): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and shipping the first CHUM...
Resin, Vinyl
Blame Game VII Screen Print by KAWS, Signed, Limited Edition, 2014
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
The ‘Blame Game' VII by KAWS is an exceptionally rare screenprint, one of the ten in the portfolio series created in 2014. A completely new, individual, brightly colored screenprint ...
Screen
KAWS, Seeing, 2022 - Kaws Bronze Sculpture
By KAWS
Located in Manchester, GB
KAWS Seeing, 2022 Bronze, Painted Black 7.2 × 7 × 11 cm (6.8 × 2.8× 4.3 inches) Edition of 140/250 Signature and Date engraved into the base of the foot Mint Condition Signed,...
Bronze
$555Sale Price|41% Off
KAWS COMPANION 2020 (KAWS black companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS 2020 Companion (Black): KAWS COMPANION 2020 was created by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his signature figure, Companion — and as cultural commentary on a year we...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY pink (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY (pink): KAWS pink WHAT PARTY Companion featuring KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural versi...
Resin, Vinyl
Kaws Companion Black Flayed Sculpture, 2016, Contemporary Art
By KAWS
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Super vibrant Black flayed edition of the classic Kaws Companion figure. Released in conjunction with the exhibition Where The End Starts at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth. One ...
Vinyl
KAWS TAKE set of 2 works (KAWS Take companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TAKE: Set of 2 Works - each new in original packaging. These standout KAWS figurative pieces are a variation of KAWS' large scale TAKE sculpture - a key highlight of the exhibi...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SMALL LIE Companion 2 works (KAWS Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SMALL LIE 2017: Set of 2 works. Each new and sealed in their original packaging. These KAWS figurative pieces are a rendition of Small Lie produced in collaboration with Qatar M...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS CHUM set of 5 works (KAWS Chum companion set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022: set of 5 works: This complete set of 5 KAWS CHUM Companions, was published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed Chum character; "I can r...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS HOLIDAY Japan (KAWS brown companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Brown Holiday Companion (KAWS Mount Fuji Japan): This sold out figurine features KAWS' signature character COMPANION in a resting position. This figur...
Resin, Vinyl
$1,980Sale Price|25% Off
KAWS "Small Lie (Black)" Toy Sculpture
By KAWS
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: KAWS, Title: Small Lie (Black) Series: Toys Date: 2017 Medium: Sculpture Unframed Dimensions: 11" x 5" x 4.5" Signature: Stamped Edition: Open Edition KAWS (America...
PVC
KAWS Book Phaidon Edition Brooklyn What Party Signed Edition Of 500
By KAWS
Located in Draper, UT
Condition: Book is in pristine condition and only opened to photograph the signature. Signature: Hand-signed by artist, Hand Signed By The Artist in Black Sharpie, KAWS 2021...
Black and White
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore (2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Singapore: A curated set of 2 KAWS Holiday figures featuring KAWS Companion in two distinctive positions. Each piece was published by the art...
Vinyl
KAWS BFF Companion (KAWS BFF black)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black BFF new, unopened in its original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale BFF sculpture is in Los Angeles's Playa Vista neighborhood. Medium: ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SMALL LIE complete set of 3 works (KAWS small lie companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SMALL LIE: Complete Set of Three. Each new and sealed in their original packaging. These KAWS figurative pieces are a rendition of Small Lie produced in collaboration with Qatar...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Passing Through Companion 2018 (Black)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Black Companion Passing Through 2018. Black colorway. New in its original packaging. The most iconic of the KAWS Companions. This classic black KAWS Companion quickly sold out ...
Resin, Vinyl
Wood Hand Sculpture by KAWS, Smooth Wood, Contemporary, 2010s
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
First published with More Gallery in Switzerland in as part of the 2013 'GISWIL' show, 'Wood Hand' is a rare, smooth wood sculpture created by the prolific street and contemporary ar...
Wood
KAWS TAKE set of 3 (KAWS Take companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TAKE: Complete set of 3 KAWS TAKE Companions new & unopened in original packaging. A well-received KAWS figurative piece & variation of KAWS' large scale ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Bus Stop 2002
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS 'Bus Stop' 2002: Paying homage to KAWS’ early days as graffiti artist, the “Bus Stop” features a plastic bus stop and two KAWS toys on the platform. Features iconic KAWS heads, ...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Changbai KAWS Singapore set of 2 works (KAWS holiday)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Changbai & KAWS Singapore brown: set of 2 works: A set of 2 KAWS Holiday Companions, published on the occasion(s) of the debut of KAWS' larger-scale sculptures of same at: Chan...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS What Party KAWS Chum (2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS What Party & Chum (2 works): Two individual KAWS Companions featuring the classic KAWS CHUM character. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptural versio...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY Companion (KAWS black what party)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY Black: This KAWS Companion vinyl sculpture features KAWS' signature CHUM character in a sloping position. Published to commemora...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS GONE set of 2 (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS GONE: set of 2 (Black & Brown), new & unopened in original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale GONE sculpture - a key highlight of KAWS’ recent exhibition, 'KAWS: Companionship in the Age of Loneliness...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED grey (KAWS Separated Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED COMPANION: New & unopened in its original packaging: This highly collectible grey KAWS SEPARATED figure is derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger scale sculpt...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS UK Holiday & KAWS Passing through (set of 2 KAWS companions)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS UK Holiday Companion Brown & KAWS Passing through: 2 works: KAWS UK Holiday: KAWS' signature character COMPANION presented in an upright and seated position with its eyes covered. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ large sculptures...
Resin, Vinyl
Dissected Companion (Black) Screen Print, Signed, Edition of 100, 2005
By KAWS
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print in colors on wove paper. Hand signed, dated and numbered by KAWS. 93 from the edition of 100 (there were also 15 artist's proofs). Published by KAWSONE, Brooklyn. Fra...
Paper, Screen
KAWS HOLIDAY Changbai: set of 2 works (KAWS chanbgai)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Changbai Mountain: set of 2 works (Black & White Changbai): A beautifully composed KAWS COMPANION set published to commemorate KAWS'...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Companions 2016: set of 2 (KAWS flayed companions)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS 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...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS The Promise: complete set of 3 works (KAWS Companion set)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS The Promise (complete set of 3 works): A unique KAWS Companion set in the artist’s signature brown, black & grey color ways. KAWS The Promise features a blue & green globe being...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SHARE brown (KAWS brown companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SHARE (Brown), new & unopened in its original packaging. KAWS SHARE first appeared in 'BLACKOUT' – the first London solo exhibition by KAWS (Skarstedt London 2019). In SHARE, K...
Resin, Vinyl
'No Reply' (Full Portfolio) Pop Art KAWS Screenprints
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
'No Reply' explores themes of isolation, introspection, and emotional ambiguity through KAWS' distinctive visual language. Centered on the artist's iconic Companion figure, the work ...
Color, Screen
KAWS CLEAN SLATE set of 2 works
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Clean Slate Set of 2 (Black & Grey), new & unopened in their original packaging. A well-received work and variation of KAWS' large scale Clean Slate sculpture - a key h...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS TIME OFF (KAWS Time Off companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS TIME OFF Black: A highly decorative KAWS Companion featuring KAWS’ much popularized BFF Companion in a resting position. This highly collectible KAWS Companion was published ahe...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Passing Through Companion 2018 (KAWS companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Grey Passing Through Companion 2018. New and sealed in its original packaging. The most iconic of the KAWS Companions, this passing through piece was published by KAWS One Med...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS SEPARATED KAWS Changbai (KAWS companion set of 2 works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS SEPARATED & KAWS Holiday Changbai (set of 2 works): These highly collectible KAWS SEPARATED and KAWS HOLIDAY Changbai figures are derived from the Brooklyn based artist’s larger...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Holiday Taipei & KAWS Holiday Japan (set of 2 KAWS Companion works)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Grey Holiday Companion: 2 works (KAWS Taipei & KAWS Japan): A set of two KAWS Holiday figures featuring, KAWS' signature character, COMPANION in relaxed positions. Each work was respectively published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger sculptures...
Resin, Vinyl
Blame Game III Screen Print by KAWS, Contemporary, Framed, 2014
By KAWS
Located in New York, NY
The ‘Blame Game' III by KAWS is an exceptionally rare screenprint, one of the ten in the portfolio series created in 2014. A completely new, individual, brightly colored screenprint ...
Screen
KAWS CHUM pink (KAWS Chum Companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS CHUM Companion 2022 (pink): Published by KAWS to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his famed KAWS’ Chum character; "I can remember clearly packing and...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS HOLIDAY: set of 6 works (KAWS black companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Holiday Companion (2019-2022): A curated set of 6 individual Black KAWS: HOLIDAY Companions new & unopened in original packaging. These KAWS holiday companions were born out of KAWS' world famous rotating series of large scale outdoor public exhibitions featuring massive sized renditions of same. A standout series of individual KAWS companions that works nicely in any setting. Please find further information as follows: KAWS UK (12 inches in height). KAWS Mount Fuji Japan (9.4 inches). KAWS Taipei (5.5 x 7 inches). KAWS Changbai...
Resin, Vinyl
$10,500
Urge
By KAWS
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Kaws Title: Urge Size: 17 x 12.5 Inches (90 x 70 cm) Medium: Screen Print on Fine Art Paper Edition: 116/250 Year: 2020 Notes: Hand Signed and Numbered by the Artist. ...
Screen
KAWS FAMILY complete set of 3 works (KAWS Family companion)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS FAMILY 2021: complete set of 3 works: These well-received, highly collectible KAWS Companion sets were published on the occasion of KAWS’ first large scale Japanese museum exhib...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS Blush Companion 2016 (KAWS Flayed)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS Blush Flayed Companion 2016: New and sealed in its original packaging. Published by Medicom Japan in conjunction with the exhibition, KAWS: Where The E...
Resin, Vinyl
KAWS WHAT PARTY white (KAWS white what party)
By KAWS
Located in NEW YORK, NY
KAWS WHAT PARTY Companion: This KAWS Companion vinyl sculpture features KAWS' CHUM character in a hunched position. Published to commemorate the debut of KAWS’ larger scale sculptur...
Resin, Vinyl
$1,000Sale Price|20% Off
KAWS Small Lie Black Version Sculpture, Resin and Vinyl Paint, 2010+
By KAWS
Located in Dallas, TX
In 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...
Resin, Vinyl