

KAWS, who was born Brian Donnelly in Jersey City and graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 1996, made a name for himself as a Pop artist after a lifelong graffiti habit and stints as an animator for Disney, past lives that influence his contemporary style. On June 10th, two 18-foot-tall wooden figures, resembling Mickey Mouses in existential despair, will take up residence in the museum’s lobby, alongside two graffiti-influenced paintings, in an exhibit called Along the Way. Fans include Pharrell Williams, a big-time collector of what he calls “urban vinyl” (art-speak for “fancy toys for grownups”), and, now, the Brooklyn Museum.

Wood,(Photo: Adam Reich, courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, New York)īrooklyn-based former street artist KAWS is best known for work that blurs the line between fine art sculpture and really expensive collectible toys. It does not store any personal data.KAWS. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".

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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. In conjunction with KAWS: WHAT PARTY, a towering new sculpture by the artist will also be installed at Rockefeller Center’s historic plaza in summer 2021. Throughout the exhibition, visitors will be invited to directly engage with KAWS’s work through Acute Art, an augmented reality app the artist has partnered with. “KAWS: WHAT PARTY” highlights a range of works from the artist’s diverse career, including drawings, paintings, bronze sculptures, smaller objects, furniture, and monumental wooden sculptures of the beloved COMPANION character, as well as a selection of new and existing works that have never been publicly displayed. With a practice formed outside of orthodox art-world channels and rooted in graffiti art, drawing, and animation, KAWS has expanded access to his art by allowing the general public to purchase editions of his work and to interact with it digitally. Renowned for his paintings and sculptures of pop culture-inspired characters, as well as his playful use of abstraction and his meticulous execution, KAWS bridges the worlds of art, popular culture, and commerce while investigating our connection to objects and to one another. ‘KAWS: What Party’ at the Brooklyn Museum ‘KAWS: What Party’: The Brooklyn Museum is the first New York institution to present a sweeping survey of KAWS’s career, from his roots as a graffiti artist to a dominating force in the contemporary art world, tracing common themes in the Brooklyn-based artist’s practice.
