KAWS - Contemporary Art Day Sale New York Friday, May 16, 2014 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Magidson Fine Art, New York

  • Exhibited

    Athens, DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, New Acquisitions from the Dakis Joannou Collection, February 9 - May 23, 2001

  • Literature

    I. Luna, KAWS, New York: Skira Rizzoli; Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 2010, p. 102 (illustrated)

  • 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

152

Untitled (Guess)

1999
acrylic on existing advertising poster
50 x 26 in. (127 x 66 cm.)
Signed and dated "KAWS 99" lower right.

Estimate
$30,000 - 50,000 

Sold for $68,750

Contact Specialist
Amanda Stoffel
Head of Day Sale
astoffel@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1261

Contemporary Art Day Sale

New York 16 May 2014 11am