From New York street artist to pop culture sensation: the essential, accessible guide to KAWS

The multidisciplinary artist KAWS is regarded as an emblem of postmodern art. Many consider him as the Andy Warhol of the 21st century. Throughout his career, KAWS’ work has spanned painting, sculpture and printmaking along with fashion, merchandise and toy production, blurring the lines between commercial and fine art. Despite the pervasiveness of his work, the life and career of KAWS is little understood by mainstream audiences and hotly contentious among those inside the art world. Insightful and engaging, KAWS Handbook connects the dots among the many facets of KAWS’ creative practice and sheds new light on one of contemporary art’s most impactful artists.
Brian Donnelly (born 1974), known by his professional moniker KAWS, is an American artist best known for his subversion of iconic cartoon characters and other figures from pop culture. For over 20 years, his work has been shown in public spaces around the world, as well as in exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of Ontario, among many others.

Text by: Carlo McCormick