Did you know?
The world’s largest Companion figure was a giant inflatable version, which sprung up in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour during Art Basel 2019.
Country of Birth
USA
Auction Record
$11,299,774
THE KAWS ALBUM
Sotheby's Hong Kong
2019
KAWS
Beloved hero of the fashion and music industries, KAWS is one of a handful of artists to successfully bridge the gap between fine art and mass production. Starting his career as a background painter for Disney, his assured understanding of the commercial art world led to the release of the highly-collectable KAWS Companion figures in the late 1990s. Alongside his work on the streets, which often included customised bus shelter adverts, these enabled him to build a monumental cult following.
Collections
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta, USA
- Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, USA
- Rosenblum Collection, Paris, FR
Exhibitions
- Beyond the Streets, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK, 2023
- NEW FICTION, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK, 2022
- KAWS: WHAT PARTY, Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA, 2021
- Playtime, NGV International Melbourne, Melbourne, AU, 2020
- Good Grief Charlie Brown, Somerset House, London, UK, 2019
- KAWS, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK, 2016
- Along the Way, Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA, 2016
Editorial
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31 Jul 2025 4 min read
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Market Watch: Auction highlights | RESULTS Part 2
Sotheby's auction, which totalled £62.5m, also included a £4.3m Banksy sold by blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus.
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01 Mar 2025 2 min read
Market Watch: Auction highlights | Part 2
Time for Part 2... We are spanning London and New York with Christie's and Phillips to host day and evening...
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24 Feb 2025 2 min read
Market Watch: Auction highlights | Part 1
Numerous pivotal auctions are approaching in the coming 2 weeks - We have taken time to highlight lots from the...
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12 Apr 2023 2 min read
Inside The Mugrabi Collection
Hang-Up explores one of the world’s most important collections of Pop Art – the Mugrabi Collection. Featuring artists like Andy...
Exhibitions
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Hang-Up Curates Vol. XII
Andy Warhol, Banksy, Bridget Riley, Damien Hirst, KAWS, Kostas Papakostas, Mark Powell, Rusty, The Connor Brothers, Tracey Emin
28 May 2026 – 31 Jul 2026
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Hang-Up Gallery Launch
Banksy, Harland Miller, Katherine Bernhardt, KAWS, Marc Quinn, Nancy Fouts, The Connor Brothers, Tim Fishlock
29 Nov 2019 – 29 Jan 2020
