KAWS
Brian Donnelly, aka Kaws, is an American artist and designer born in 1974 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Street artist, painter, illustrator, sculptor and publisher, Kaws touches on everything that surrounds the world of Pop Art.
After graduating in 1996 with a B.A. in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York, he spent some time freelancing for Disney. Today, he lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.
Kaws began his career in the 1990s as a street artist, superimposing his work on billboards, bus shelters and telephone booths in Brooklyn. He creates or reuses well-known cartoon and comic strip characters, introducing them into his offbeat universe. The Michelin Man, The Simpsons, Mickey, Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants... So many common figures rooted in the collective imagination, allowing the artist to adopt a language aimed at universality. Kaws' primary aim is to make art accessible to all.
He soon signed all his creations with a distinctive trademark: crosses in place of eyes. This makes his style all the more recognizable.
As he became famous, he adopted a variety of techniques, expanding his artistic output to include sculpture and painting on canvas.
His transition from the second to the third dimension is explained by his quest for ever greater mastery of space and reality. His sculptures can reach monumental dimensions. Some of his giant figures are displayed at museum entrances, attracting the attention of passers-by.
Kaws draws inspiration from the foundations of Pop Art, as well as artists such as Gerhard Richter, Claes Oldenburg and Chuck Close.
Now internationally recognized, he works for major retailers such as Nike, for whom he designed a pair of sneakers, Vans, DC Shoes and Uniqlo, as well as for the music and film industries, collaborating with Kanye West, Burton, Pharell Williams and many others.
Kaws has exhibited his work in some of the world's most renowned galleries and museums. His work is included in three permanent collections: the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
