KAWS - 20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale New York Thursday, July 2, 2020 | Phillips
  • In Short

     

    “KAWS is not just referring to pop culture, he is making it” — Michael Auping

     

  • The KAWS (r)Evolution

  • Anatomy of the COMPANION

    • Provenance

      Private Collection

    • 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 Private European Collection

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COMPANION (DETAIL OF CROWD SHOT)

signed, titled and dated "KAWS.. 00 COMPANION (Detail of CROWD SHOT)" on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
67 1/2 x 47 1/2 in. (171.5 x 120.7 cm)
Painted in 2000.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$1,200,000 - 1,800,000 

Sold for $1,380,000

Contact Specialist

Amanda Lo Iacono
Head of Evening Sale
New York
+1 212 940 1278

20th Century and Contemporary Art Evening Sale

New York Auction 2 July 2020