KAWS

Brian Donnelly (born 1974) known professionally as KAWS, is an American pop artist and designer.

His work includes repeated use of a cast of figurative characters and motifs, some dating back to the beginning of his career in the 1990s, initially painted in 2D and later realized in 3D. Some of his characters are his own creation whilst others are reworked versions of existing icons. As he grew older, his influences came from traditional life painters, such as Gerhard Richter, Klaus Oldenberg, and Chuck Close.

He began as a graffiti artist, moving on to subvertising, and now makes sculpture, acrylic paintings on canvas and screen prints. He also collaborates commercially, predominantly on limited edition toys, and also clothing, skate decks and other products.

KAWS sculpture ranges in size from a few inches to ten meters tall, and are made from various materials including fiberglass, aluminum, wood and bronze.

His work is exhibited in galleries and museums, held in the permanent collections of public institutions, and avidly collected by individuals. A number of books illustrating his work have been published. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.