The Power & Whimsy of KAWS

KAWS – “Holiday”

Brian Donnelly (aka KAWS) has ascended to the highest realms of living artists. His work is everywhere, from galleries to shopping malls. His reach extends around the world — Paris, London, Berlin, Tokyo and New York City.

How does one man gain such crossover appeal?

It all comes down to his refusal to allow labels to define his work. In his own words: “It’s just the same way the people try and compartmentalize you with like, oh you know the people that know me from like graffiti, oh, you’re a graffiti artist, or you’re a toy designer or people when their first interaction with me is at a museum and they’re like oh, contemporary artist…and I always felt like those labels are unnecessary.”

KAWS’ ability to leap over definitions and strike out in new fields keeps his work fresh and his name in the headlines. And if we look at his history, we see that there is probably no artist as astute at navigating these strange waters as KAWS.

Graffiti + Animation

Donnelly was born on November 4, 1974. By the time he was an adolescent, street art was taking off. The young artist built his name in this milieu, making illegal graffiti in his hometown of Jersey City, New Jersey under the tag KAWS, chosen because he liked the way the letters looked together. This work often subverted commercial images and billboards.

But he had dreams of becoming an animator, and he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City to receive an illustration degree. He worked at Jumbo Pictures as an animator, working on several cartoon television shows.

Throughout the mid-90s, KAWS continued to lead this double life. It would prove to be a formative experience, shaping his iconic style that would eventually take the world by storm.

KAWS’ Characters: Companion, Bendy, Accomplice

His fine art and commercial work often focuses on the same set of characters, most famously Companion — a Mickey Mouse inspired figure with a skull and bones head design and Xs for eyes. Other popular KAWS characters include Bendy — a sperm-like version of Companion — and Accomplice — a bunny-eared spin-off of Companion.

These characters have appeared as sculptures, limited edition toys, a version of the Moonman trophy for the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and in countless other forms. Companion is so popular that when the Museum of Modern Art sold action figures of the character online, their website crashed.

The use of the same characters connects back to hi