An Overview Of KAWS’ Life

KAWS is a renowned New York-based contemporary artist. His popularity has led to his artwork selling for over a million dollars and making his name known far and wide. But how did he get so well-known? And what makes him so unique? Read on to find out!

Who is KAWS?

Kaws, alias Brian Donnelly is one of those artists people seem drawn to. His work has a universal appeal that transcends ages, genders, languages, cultures, and nationalities. He can successfully communicate with them through his art and KAWS figures.

But how did KAWS become an international phenomenon? It turns out that his start was pretty humble when compared to what he’s accomplished now. He originally got into art because of an elementary school art contest. He won a prize for a crayon drawing, and from that moment, he knew it would be his life’s work.

KAWS was highly inspired by a street artist named Jean-Michel Basquiat. While working with complete dedication, he gained knowledge and experience that led him to the impressive art career he has today.

Early life

KAWS studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York and graduated in 1992, two years later than scheduled, because he decided not to take any breaks during college. It speaks volumes about how committed he is to his craft.

After graduating from college, he started working as a freelance artist for Disney. He created animated backgrounds for Disney movies.

When did he start becoming popular?

It wasn’t until the mid-1990s that KAWS started to get some attention. At this time, his work was not being accepted by galleries; however, it did become noticed when they rejected it. He gained notoriety through the graffiti/street art scene because he didn’t exactly fit into either graffiti or mainstream art category. He is not considered a street artist because he doesn’t create elaborate, large-scale pieces that artists or big corporations commission.

KAWS also wasn’t accepted by galleries because of his unique style, which was very different from the mainstream style of painting displayed at that time. His paintings were very graphic, and his subject matter was sometimes hard to understand. He uses the most common and crude materials available to him, such as carpeting and refrigerator boxes, creating an overall “kawaii kawaii” aesthetic that is popular now but was not at the time. In many ways, this approach to art was a little bit out of touch with mainstream culture.

This was also when KAWS started building his reputation on his European work. He traveled to France and Spain for two years to work on film sets and in the street art scene. During this time, he became increasingly focused on creating artworks that would be liked and appreciated by people worldwide.

KAWS began spending more and more time in New York City, just working on his art and developing his style. He would then send the work, such as KAWS figures, to galleries in other parts of the country so that he could be shown together with other artists who did similar work. His solo shows were quite rare after 1996, but he still maintained a presence in various parts of the world through collaborations with other artists.

In 1999, KAWS made his first trip to Japan and sold out all his solo shows there. He continued traveling back to Japan every two years after this first visit and has become one of their most successful international artists.

Conclusion

KAWS’ story exemplifies the idea of artistic talent, hard work, and dedication. He has worked hard to attain success in this world, and it has been due to his perseverance, passion, and a whole lot of determination.