KAWS - Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale Hong Kong Saturday, June 1, 2024 | Phillips
  • “I use the X the same way that Mercedes uses the grille on their cars… You see them in the rearview mirror and just have a glimpse of it, and you know the style of the car going behind you.”
    — KAWS

     

     KAWS discusses the development of his artmaking practices and the incorporation of the skull as a recurring symbol in his work

    • Provenance

      Private Collection, Los Angeles
      Private Collection
      Christie's, New York, 14 November 2019, lot 851
      Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

    • Artist Biography

      KAWS

      American • 1974

      To understand the work of KAWS is to understand his roots in the skateboard and graffiti crews of New York City. Brian Donnelly chose KAWS as his moniker to tag city streets beginning in the 1990s, and quickly became a celebrated standout in the scene. Having swapped spray paint for explorations in fine art spanning sculpture, painting and collage, KAWS has maintained a fascination with classic cartoons, including Garfield, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Simpsons, and reconfigured familiar subjects into a world of fantasy. 

      Perhaps he is most known for his larger-than-life fiberglass sculptures that supplant the body of Mickey Mouse onto KAWS' own imagined creatures, often with 'x'-ed out eyes or ultra-animated features. However, KAWS also works frequently in neon and vivid paint, adding animation and depth to contemporary paintings filled with approachable imagination. There is mass appeal to KAWS, who exhibits globally and most frequently in Asia, Europe and the United States.  

      View More Works

PROPERTY FROM A PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION, ASIA

175

GONE AND BEYOND B-9

signed and dated 'KAWS..12' on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
diameter 101.6 cm. (40 in.)
Painted in 2012.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
HK$700,000 - 1,000,000 
€82,600-118,000
$89,700-128,000

Sold for HK$762,000

Contact Specialist

Anastasia Salnikoff
Associate Specialist, Head of Day Sale
+852 2318 2014
anastasiasalnikoff@phillips.com
 

Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale

Hong Kong Auction 1 June 2024