Skip to main content

KAWS Wall Decorations

American

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.

6
1
to
1
7
7
7
7
4
1
6
1
1
Height
to
Width
to
5
2
1
1
3
3
1
1
1
569
429
292
271
265
Creator: KAWS
KAWS Brian Donnelly Rare Signed Natural Canvas Uniqlo X Tote Shopping Bag Gone
By KAWS
Located in Studio City, CA
A quite rare signed tote shopping bag by world-renowned contemporary artist and New York-based sensation KAWS (Brian Donnelly). Art critics have universally and consistently compared...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary American Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Textile, Canvas

Super Model #1 & #2 by KAWS
By KAWS
Located in Stamford, CT
A pair of early prints by KAWS being sold together. Supermodel #1 1999 Supermodel #2, 1999 Screen prints signed in pencil, numbered and dated 99. The prints are matched numbered ...
Category

1990s American Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS Monster posters set of 4 (KAWS posters)
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS General Mills posters: complete set of 4 works (2022): These highly decorative KAWS posters feature the artist's rendition of iconic cereal characters...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS Brooklyn Museum poster 2021 (KAWS TIDE)
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS 'TIDE' poster 2021 This classic KAWS poster features the artists signature Companion figure floating in a moonlit ocean and was published on the occasion of the much heralded 2021 KAWS: What Party exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS "Urge" Portfolio of 10 Silkscreens with Additional Silkscreened Title Page
By KAWS
Located in Stamford, CT
Based off of a series of paintings currently showing at the Brooklyn Museum. The limited edition works consist of 10 high quality screen prints portraying his signature CHUM characte...
Category

2010s American Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS 'Score Years' Poster (KAWS Brooklyn Museum 2021)
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS 'Score Years' poster 2021: This vibrant KAWS poster features the artists signature abstract motifs and was published on the occasion of the much heralded 2021 KAWS: What Party e...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws Limited Edition Cashmere Blanket by House of Voltaire
By KAWS
Located in Stamford, CT
This 100% superfine cashmere blanket by KAWS by House of Voltaire. There was a limited edition of 85 made with blue water, 85 made with red water. Produced by master Scottish cra...
Category

2010s Scottish Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Fabric

Related Items
"Love Saves The Day" Harland Miller, 2014 15 Color Silkscreen Print
Located in London, GB
"Love Saves The Day" Harland Miller, 2014 15 color silkscreen print on 410gsm Somerset paper 146 cm x 105 cm page size Edition 100 signed and numbered in pencil. One of the top three most desirable Harland Miller prints, this is a stunning large format print, mounted and framed in a white box frame. Frame size 162 cm x 121 cm Provenance: The Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. purchased on 7th May 2016 In late 2012, Miller had his first solo show at Ingleby Gallery entitled "Overcoming Optimism" Harland Miller Harland Miller is both a writer and artist (his debut novel Slow Down Arthur Stick to Thirty was published in 2000) and his paintings of books simultaneously provide a subject for the painter and an outlet for the writer. They combine the emotive possibilities of abstract expressionism with the quick punch of words to deliver their message, and for all the macho grist of their making, and often overwhelming scale, they somehow express a frailty that hints at the human condition. As Miller has said: “Painting is the worst medium to express narrative, but perhaps the best to hit a nerve”. Harland Miller was born in Yorkshire in 1964. He has lived in New York and Berlin and currently lives and works in London. Biography 1964 Born Yorkshire, England 1984 – 1987 BA Chelsea College of Art, London 1987 – 1988 MA Chelsea College of Art, London Lives and works in London Solo Exhibitions 2020 York , So Good They Named It Once, York Gallery, York, UK - Millers largest Solo exhibition to date. 2019 Harland Miller, White Cube Hong Kong, China 2017 One Bar Electric Memoir, White Cube Mason’s Yard, London, UK 2016 Tonight We Make History (P.S. I Can’t Be There), Blain Southern, Berlin, Germany 2015 In Dreams Begin Monsters, Palacio Quintanar, Segovia, Spain 2013 Wherever You Are Whatever You’re Doing This One’s For You, Reflex Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands A DECISIVE BLOW AGAINST IF., Other Criteria, London, UK 2012 The Next Life’s On Me, White Cube Gallery, London, UK On Overcoming Optimism, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, UK Harland Miller, Galleria Marabini, Bologna, Italy 2011 Rocky VI, Galerie Alex Daniels - Reflex Amsterdam, The Netherlands Have You Ever Stopped To Wonder Why You’re Not Here, LAB Art, Beirut, Lebanon 2010 I'll Never Forget What I Can't Remember, Galerie Alex Daniels - Reflex Amsterdam, The Netherlands Butterside Down, Galleria Marabini, Bologna, Italy 2009 Harland Miller: Don’t Let the Bastards Cheer You Up, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead 2007 Siesta Forever – Come on and Sing My Song, The Fireplace Project, East Hamptons, USA 2005 Dear Son, This is one of the last of my few remaining pre marital possessions – look after it won’t you, Love Dad, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, USA 2002 To Jean, A Small Memento for a Great Effort, Love Alan, White Cube, London, UK 2000 First I was Afraid; I was Petrified, Fig.-1, London, UK 1995 Harland Miller, Enrico Navarra Gallery, Paris, France You Dig the Tunnel, I’ll Hide the Soil, Fakhoury Steinitz Gallery, Paris, France First I was Afraid I was Petrified, The Scotch House, Tel Aviv, Israel Group Exhibitions 2019 Summer Contemporary, Maddox Gallery, London, UK Art in the Culloden Estate and Spa, Gormley’s Fine Art, Holywood, UK Between the Lines, Maddox Gallery, London, UK Contemporary British Editions, Galerie Maximillian, London, UK 2018 TWENTY, Ingleby, Edinburgh, UK 2016 Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick, Somerset House, London, UK 2014 What Marcel Duchamp taught me, Fine Arts Society, London, UK 2013 Once upon a time and a very good time it was…, Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, UK Sculpture in the Close, Jesus College, Cambridge, UK 2012 AKA Peace, ICA, London, UK Cool Britannia, Gallery Hyundai, New Space, Seoul, Korea 2010 Kupferstichkabinett: Between Thought and Action, White Cube, London, UK Exhibitionism, The Art of Display, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, UK 2009 Different Places, Different Stories, König-Heinrich-Platz, Duisburg, Germany Inspired, Mitchell Library (City Museum), Glasgow, UK TURPS BANANA 1, Galleria Marabini, Milan, Italy TURPS BANANA 2, Galleria Marabini, Bologna, Italy 2008 You Dig The Tunnel, I’ll Hide The Soil, White Cube, Hoxton Square and Shoreditch Town Hall, London, UK Voewood Projects, High Kelling, Norfolk, UK 2007 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK 2006 The Portrait, V22 Ashwin Street, London, UK Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK 2005 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK 2004 Direct Painting, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany The Charged Image, Collection of Douglas Cramer, Joseloff Gallery, West Hartford, CT, USA 1996 Bad August, Richard Salmon...
Category

2010s English KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Set of 2 Walljewel White Onyx by Lisette Rützou
Located in Geneve, CH
Walljewel white onyx by Lisette Rützou Dimensions: 15 x H 42 cm Materials: Rose, green and white onyx. Lisette Rützou’s design is motivated by an urge to articulate a story. In...
Category

2010s Danish Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Onyx

1973 Herman Miller Company Summer Picnic Poster
By Herman Miller
Located in Cincinnati, OH
A very collectable pop art styled colorful poster from the annual Herman Miller summer picnic . Printed on a slick paper stock depicting a hamburger with...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Pair of Patrick Nagel Framed Prints Portfolio 1 and Classic Visions
By Patrick Nagel
Located in Chattanooga, TN
Stunning pair of vintage 1980s Patrick Nagel prints. These two images work perfectly as a duo! The first image is “Portfolio 1” – a young woman wearing a bralette and headband. The s...
Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Metal

Museum Replica Fragment of a Marble Votive Relief from the Acropolis of Athens
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Offered is a reproduction of a relief piece made from a cast of the original marble relief and hand finished by skilled artisans to ensure its accuracy and authenticity. It is a beautiful representation of the original and gives an insight into the culture of ancient Greece. The Certificate of Authenticity certifies that the marble votive...
Category

1960s Greek Classical Greek Vintage KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Plaster

Plakat Secesyjny 1971 Art Nouveau Polish Poster Museum poster, Hubert Hilscher
Located in Bath, Somerset
Another of our favourite new additions, the simply sensational original Plakat Secesyjny/Art Nouveau Polish Poster Museum exhibition poster from 1971. Polish School of Posters master Hubert Hilscher...
Category

20th Century Polish KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

1973 International Museum Of Erotic Art Exhibition Print
Located in San Carlos, CA
Very cool vintage advertisement print after Alfred Beloch's "Cock Rocket". This print was created to announce a 1973 exhibition at "The In...
Category

1970s American Modern Vintage KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Other

Set of Three Itzchak Tarkay Serigraphs of Nudes
Located in Stamford, CT
Set of three Itzchak Tarkay serigraphs of nudes. Each By Itzchak Tarkay who was born in 1935 at the Yugoslav-Hungarian border all are finely f...
Category

1970s Art Deco Vintage KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Framed Lithograph Landscape with View of the Lake and Boats Signed
By Henri Martin
Located in Miami, FL
A very colorful lithograph professionally framed, signed. This interesting work of art is attributed to Bernard Gatner. Will enhance any space. Measures: 26 1/8" H x 33 5/8" W x 1...
Category

20th Century French KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Gaetano Pesce Exhibition Poster Bernini, Italy, 2001
By Gaetano Pesce
Located in Roosendaal, Noord Brabant
Rare exhibition poster designed by Gaetano Pesce for Bernini, Italy 2001. This poster was an exhibition poster for the Bernini Exhibition at Gal...
Category

Early 2000s Italian Post-Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Glass, Wood, Paper

Mario Schifano "Acerbi" Materic Serigraph with frame
By Mario Schifano
Located in Brescia, IT
Mario Schifano "Acerbi" Year: 1990s Medium: Materic serigraph Edition: 99/199 Frame size: 110 x 80 x 5 cm Signed and numbered.
Category

1990s Italian Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Wood, Paper

Jim Dine Pop Art Jewish Museum Poster/Print
By Jim Dine
Located in Sharon, CT
An early example of NYC Pop Art by this most important artist. These were distributed by The Jewish Museum in the 1960's, and are very rare. Signed in th...
Category

1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Jim Dine Pop Art Jewish Museum Poster/Print
Jim Dine Pop Art Jewish Museum Poster/Print
H 29.5 in W 21.5 in D 0.07 in
Previously Available Items
KAWS Brooklyn Museum Poster 2021, 'KAWS Tide'
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS 'TIDE' poster 2021 This classic KAWS poster features the artists signature Companion figure floating in a moonlit ocean and was published on the occasion of the much heralded 2021 KAWS: What Party exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. This large sized standout piece sold out immediately upon its release. Offset lithograph. Dimensions: 45 x 48 Inches. From a sold out / out of print edition of unknown. Unsigned. New, in very good to excellent overall condition. Sold unframed. About KAWS: “KAWS” is a graffiti artist, illustrator, painter, sculptor, product designer and toymaker. His cartoonish style, including his best-known characters with X-ed out eyes has its roots in his early career as a street artist, when he began replacing advertisements with his own, masterful acrylic paintings in the early, 1990s. Since, Kaws has embraced the commercialist spirit of Claes Oldenburg and Takashi Murakami, designing everything from Kanye West album covers to NIKE sneakers...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS 'Score Years' Poster 'Brooklyn Museum 2021'
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS 'Score Years' poster 2021: This vibrant KAWS poster features the artists signature abstract motifs and was published on the occasion of the much heralded 2021 KAWS: What Party ...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS TIDE Poster 'Brooklyn Museum 2021'
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS 'TIDE' poster 2021 This classic KAWS poster features the artists signature Companion figure floating in a moonlit ocean and was published on the occasion of the much heralded 2021 KAWS: What Party exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum...
Category

2010s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS Cover Art, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS cover art 2009: After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New York 2009” issue. Approximately measures: 9 x 12 inches, minor signs of handling; otherwise very good condition, full issue, well-intact. Well-suited for framing. New York Magazine press-release, 2009: "This year, we invited a handful of designers to submit ideas for our “Best of New York” cover. They included Brooklyn-based street artist Kaws, book-jacket designer Evan Gaffney and magazine and book designer Tom Brown...
Category

Early 2000s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS Cover Art, 2009
KAWS Cover Art, 2009
H 12 in W 9 in D 0.2 in
KAWS Cover Art, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS cover art 2009: After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New York 200...
Category

Early 2000s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS Cover Art, 2009
KAWS Cover Art, 2009
H 12 in W 9 in D 0.5 in
Kaws Limited Edition Cashmere Blanket by House of Voltaire
By KAWS
Located in Stamford, CT
This 100% superfine cashmere blanket by KAWS by House of Voltaire. There was a limited edition of 85 made with blue water, 85 made with red water. Produced by master Scottish cra...
Category

2010s Scottish Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Fabric

Kaws Cover Art, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New York 2009” issue. Approxima...
Category

Early 2000s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws Cover Art, 2009
Kaws Cover Art, 2009
H 12 in W 9 in D 0.5 in
Kaws Cover Art 'New York Magazine, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS Cover Art 2009: After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New ...
Category

Early 2000s Kinetic KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws Cover Art 'New York Magazine, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS Cover Art 2009: After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New ...
Category

Early 2000s Kinetic KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

KAWS ‘Brian Donnelly’ Limited Edition Signed Screenprint Blame Game Series, 2014
By KAWS
Located in Studio City, CA
A riveting work by world-renowned contemporary artist and New York-based sensation KAWS (Brian Donnelly). Art critics have universally and consistently ...
Category

2010s American Modern KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws Cover Art 'New York Magazine, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
KAWS Cover Art 2009: After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New York 2009” issue. Approximatel...
Category

Early 2000s Kinetic KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws Cover Art New York Magazine, 2009
By KAWS
Located in Brooklyn, NY
After previously working on the covers of ID magazine and complex, Kaws did the cover art for New York Magazine’s “Best Of New York 2009” issue. A...
Category

Early 2000s KAWS Wall Decorations

Materials

Paper

Kaws wall decorations for sale on 1stDibs.

KAWS wall decorations are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of KAWS wall decorations, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original wall decorations by KAWS were created in the modern style in united states during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider wall decorations by Stef Duffy, James Strombotne, and John Baldessari. Prices for KAWS wall decorations can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $68 and can go as high as $145,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $488.
Questions About KAWS Wall Decorations
  • Irena Orlov ArtMarch 1, 2021
    Kaws' Companion is a clown-like figure based on a Mickey Mouse with X-ed out eyes.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    A KAWS figure is a toy or figurine comparable to an action figure, created by the American artist, Brian Donnelly, who is known professionally as KAWS. Called ‘companions’, the figures are in KAWS’ signature style, and monster-size versions have been seen everywhere from Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Shop a selection of KAWS pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 27, 2024
    What is so special about KAWS is that the American artist creates imaginative pieces that appropriate pop phenomena like the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. He is particularly well known for his toys, including his debut figure, Companion, inspired by Mickey Mouse. He has also teamed up with streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape and Supreme and collaborated with designer Kim Jones on the Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2019 collection. Find a range of KAWS art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024
    KAWS is famous for producing figures, toys, sculptures, drawings, paintings and prints that borrow from pop culture phenomena like the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. In 1999, he partnered with Bounty Hunter, a Japanese toy and streetwear brand, to release his first toy. Called Companion, it was an 8-inch-tall vinyl reimagining of Mickey Mouse, with a skull-and-crossbones head and XX eyes. Companion debuted with a limited run of 500 and sold out quickly. The piece was the first of more than 130 toy designs by KAWS, which came to include such characters as Chum, Blitz, Be@rbrick, BFF and Milo, each immediately recognizable as KAWS figures by their XX eyes. Explore a selection of KAWS art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 13, 2024
    KAWS art is the general term for works created by the American artist KAWS. He is best known for his more than 130 toy designs, which include such characters as Chum, Blitz, Be@rbrick, BFF and Milo, each immediately recognizable as his work by their XX eyes. In addition, KAWS produces sculptures, drawings, paintings and prints. On 1stDibs, shop a range of KAWS art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024
    The word KAWS means an American artist. Born Brian Donnelly, KAWS adopted the name when he was active as a graffiti artist in New Jersey and New York. In interviews, he has explained that KAWS has no particular meaning to him. He simply chose the name because he liked how the characters looked. He is most well known for his line of whimsical figures with double-X eyes. Explore a range of KAWS art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024
    No, Bearbrick and KAWS are not the same. However, they have collaborated with one another many times. KAWS is the pseudonym of the artist Brian Donnelly, while Bearbrick is a brand of collectible designer toys produced by the Japanese company MediCom Toy Incorporated. On 1stDibs, find a variety of KAWS art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Yes, KAWS are always produced in limited edition runs. KAWS is a New York-based artist who designs limited edition toys and clothing. He is known for creating figurines that mix both high- and low-brow art. Widely popular with pop culture enthusiasts and collectors, KAWS art can only be found through select retailers. Find a range of KAWS art for sale on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    KAWS is an American artist, toy and clothing designer. Born in New Jersey under the name Brian Donnelly, he became interested in graffiti very early on. He earned a BFA and began working for Disney. His artwork gained popularity and he began traveling and designing toys and clothing while continuing art and sculptures. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023
    A KAWS FAMILY set is a collection of four sculptures created by artist Brian “KAWS” Donnelly that come in a set. The term family refers to the fact that the set comprises two large and two small figures, so side by side, they resemble parents and children. Donnelly released the sets on September 13, 2021, in an assortment of colorways. On 1stDibs, find a selection of authentic KAWS sculptures.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024
    The artist behind KAWS is Brian Donnelly. As a kid in Jersey City, New Jersey, he got into graffiti art, using KAWS as his tag. Today, KAWS creates a diverse range of art and design objects. There are KAWS figures and toys, sculptures, colorful drawings, paintings and prints that appropriate pop phenomena like the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. On 1stDibs, shop a range of KAWS art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    What KAWS’s art means is open to interpretation. 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. Companion is now the most visible of the KAWS posse, appearing over the past decade in new postures and combinations in monumental works. 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 explained in the catalogue for an exhibition at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, in Texas. “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.” On 1stDibs, find a diverse assortment of KAWS art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Yes, artist Brian Donnelly, known professionally as KAWS, does make his own art. He admits he has a regimented schedule now that he has children, and finds that this has made him more productive, allowing him to focus on sculptures and paintings in the mornings. On 1stDibs, find a variety of original artwork from top artists.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
    The most popular KAWS art is a topic that is open to debate. However, his first-ever toy design is a favorite among collectors. Called COMPANION, it is an eight-inch-tall vinyl reimagining of Mickey Mouse with a skull-and-crossbones head and trademark XX eyes. COMPANION debuted with a limited run of 500 and sold out quickly. Find an assortment of KAWS figures on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 3, 2024
    How KAWS makes his sculptures varies. The New Jersey-born artist Brian “KAWS” Donnelly works with a variety of materials, including fiberglass, wood and bronze. By mixing up his techniques and experimenting with different mediums, KAWS can incorporate various colors and textures into his sculptures, figures and toys, and continues to innovate his practice.

    In 1999, KAWS partnered with Bounty Hunter, a Japanese toy and streetwear brand, to release his first toy. 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 (and counterfeiters have since taken notice).

    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.

    Find authentic KAWS art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 16, 2024
    KAWS uses acrylic paint for many of his works. The artist has said in the past that he has custom paints produced for him by the company Golden. When painting his figurines, KAWS uses a technique that makes the brushstrokes virtually invisible. Find a variety of KAWS art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    The KAWS Take open edition is a type of vinyl figurine sold as a decorative object or work of art. Arton Contemporary produces the figurines in limited quantities. The open edition Take debuted in 2020. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of KAWS art.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Brooklyn, New York artist KAWS uses a variety of mediums for his work, with acrylic painting, screen prints and sculptures being the most predominant. On 1stDibs, find a collection of authentic KAWS pieces from some of the world’s top sellers.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    What makes KAWS’s art unique is the artist's innovative approach to his work. The American artist seamlessly blends elements of Pop art, street art and popular culture into his pieces. He is known for putting a creative spin on familiar characters and his playful figurines, which often feature double-X eyes. On 1stDibs, shop a variety of art by KAWS.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2024
    Many people consider KAWS’s art type to be Pop art. The style first emerged in the 1950s. In stark contrast to traditional artistic practice, Pop art’s practitioners drew on imagery from popular culture, using things like comic books, advertising, product packaging and other commercial media to create original paintings, prints and sculptures that celebrated ordinary life in the most literal way. In his work, KAWS similarly appropriates pop phenomena like Mickey Mouse, the Smurfs, the Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. Shop a selection of KAWS art on 1stDibs.

Recently Viewed

View All