Brian Donnelly, born on November 4, 1974, is an American artist and designer known professionally as KAWS. He gained widespread recognition for his work featuring a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the 1990s. Initially, Kaws painted them in 2D and later transformed them into stunning 3D sculptures.
Kaws’ sculptures come in various sizes, ranging from just a few inches to an impressive ten meters tall. These captivating pieces are crafted from diverse materials, including fiberglass, aluminum, wood, bronze, and even a steel pontoon inflatable raft.
Drawing inspiration from high art painters like Gerhard Richter, Claes Oldenburg, and Chuck Close, Kaws blurs the boundaries between commercial and fine art. This has earned him comparisons to iconic figures like Andy Warhol, owing to his cross-market appeal.
His art is showcased in galleries, museums, and permanent collections of esteemed institutions. Notably, Kaws’ work is avidly collected by art enthusiasts, celebrities, and musicians, such as music producer Swizz Beatz, internet personality PewDiePie, rappers Pharrell Williams and Kid Cudi, as well as members of the South Korean group BTS.
Kaws is not limited to traditional mediums; he also collaborates commercially, producing limited edition toys, clothing, skateboard decks, and other products.
Currently residing and working in Brooklyn, New York, Kaws continues to create sculptures, acrylic paintings on canvas, and captivating screen prints. Skarstedt Gallery represents him, showcasing his incredible artistic talent to the world.
3 March 2021 • Mark Westall
Skarstedt is opening a new gallery space at The Royal Poinciana Plaza in Palm Beach, Florida. To inaugurate the space, the gallery will present KAWS: HOLIDAY, an exhibition of four aluminium sculptures based on the artist’s monumental inflatable works which toured globally.
16 February 2021 • Mark Westall
An upcoming exhibition aims to present the full 360-degree package of KAWS’s twenty-five-year art practice, featuring graffiti drawings, paintings, smaller collectables, furniture, recent augmented reality projects, and sculptures,
17 August 2020 • Mark Westall
For its fifth stop on 16 August 2020 KAWS: HOLIDAY SPACE travelled to space! Working again with longtime collaborator AllRightsReserved, KAWS: HOLIDAY went to space.
12 August 2020 • Mark Westall
Trespassing from Christie’s features works from KAWS, Banksy and Invader juxtaposed with works by Jonas Wood, and George Condo among others that share the same dynamic spirit.
14 May 2020 • Mark Westall
Christie’s continues to expand its online-only auction calendar. VICE and VIRTUE, the latest in a series of thematic online auctions from the Post-War and Contemporary Art department.
1 May 2020 • Mark Westall
Ground-breaking digital art investments platform, ARTCELS, in partnership with HOFA Gallery has announced a new virtual contemporary art exhibition, ‘XXI’, launching on Monday 4th May.
14 April 2020 • Mark Westall
West Contemporary have announced the launch of a new collection of highly collectable artworks, with 20% of the profit from all sales going towards their #masksforNHS fundraiser, set up via GoFundMe to raise money for much needed FFP3 masks for NHS staff.
20 March 2020 • Mark Westall
KAWS and Acute Art have released a free trial KAWS sculpture. Released last week via an APP not only could you rent or buy AR sculptures there was also a global exhibition of massive KAWS sculptures COMPANION (EXPANDED) for free viewing at various global locations.
13 March 2020 • Mark Westall
KAWS has teamed up with Acute Art for the worldwide launch of a new type of artwork. His augmented reality (AR) works create new ways to own, trade, and live with art via the Acute Art app.
6 December 2019 • Mark Westall
SANTA KAWS is an online-only sale of 33 collectable figurines by KAWS. The inaugural online-only sale for Phillips in London, SANTA KAWS is now live and will run through to 13th December
20 November 2019 • Mark Westall
A new 2000sq ft purpose-built London gallery is to open on the Regent’s Canal in Hoxton next week featuring 5-metre- high ceilings with an abundance of natural light
8 November 2018 • Mark Westall
GONE is KAW’s inaugural exhibition with Skarstedt Gallery he will debut four large-scale bronze sculptures, and a series of new paintings.
5 September 2018 • Mark Westall
From the earliest days of luggage labels, pasted on to the valises of those few people able to travel, or the cut and glue decoupage so beloved by Victorian scrapbookers, stickers have helped us to express the most interesting aspects of ourselves in a unique format.
1 August 2018 • Mark Westall
Skarstedt’s Summer Group Exhibition includes artwork from the likes of George Condo, Cindy Sherman and David Salle and KAWS
11 July 2018 • Mark Westall
Phillips Laces Up: Sneaker Exhibition features over 20 Pairs of Shoes Designed by Leading Contemporary Artists, Including Takashi Murakami, KAWS, Kehinde Wiley, Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, and Shantell Martin.
6 June 2018 • Mark Westall
Snoopy, Charlie Brown and co. are heading to Somerset House in a cultural celebration of themselves! The world’s most influential comic strip
11 March 2018 • Mark Westall
Not one but two KAWS exhibitions in Tokyo and Hong Kong at Perrotin galleries simultaneously. Continuing in the tradition of Pop Art, KAWS work crosses painting, sculpture and printmaking along with fashion, merchandise and toy production while drawing upon art history and popular culture.
26 February 2018 • Mark Westall
KAWS recently posted Instagram photos of his new massive SMALL LIE Companion sculpture being installed at the Hamad International Airport in Qatar.
8 February 2016 • Mark Westall
This is KAWS’ first UK museum exhibition and it features 20 works; sculptures in bronze, fibreglass, aluminium and wood and bright shiny canvases.
29 January 2016 • Mark Westall
KAWS gets his first UK Museum exhibition next week watch the promo
14 December 2015 • Mark Westall
NEW KAWS show features over 20 works including v large sculptures in bronze, fibreglass, aluminium and wood alongside large, bright canvases immaculately rendered in acrylic paint – some created especially for the show.
11 August 2015 • Mark Westall
The opening exhibition features a massive sculpture piece by New York artist KAWS, entitled “CLEAN SLATE,” measuring nearly 23ft.
22 October 2014 • Paul Carey-Kent
Hirst, Kaws, William Tucker, Paul Mc Carthy and Richard Serra
9 September 2014 • VC Maurer
His birth name is Eric Inkala, but most people refer to him as: Ink. He draws, he sketches, he paints, he shoots and he is currently grindin’ in Brooklyn, NYC. Read more…
