KAWS in Brooklyn, NY

The moment I got my second vaccine shot and knew I was going to be back in NYC, I got tickets for the KAWS: What Party exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. Boy am I glad I did. I had been slow to the KAWS fan club, but I am now a full-fledged member. I think Brian Donnelly, a.k.a. KAWS, is a genius. The twenty-five year KAWS survey show runs until September 5, 2021. I highly recommend going to see it if you can.

KAWS, ALONG THE WAY, 2013
Wood

As you enter the museum you are greeted by these enormous eighteen-foot-high wood sculptures. Here is a New York Times review which will give you a good understanding of the exhibition.

KAWS, WHAT PARTY, 2020
Bronze, paint

In the glass case, right by the exhibition entrance, I loved looking at the blackbooks, postcards and photos. These all dated from the 1990s when Donnelly developed his KAWS tag.

KAWS, Untitled (DKNY), 1999
Acrylic on existing advertising poster
(phone booth ad that the artist appropriated)
Private collection

The exhibition is extensive, with 167 objects, so I am only showing you some of my favorites.

KAWS, SMALL K LANDSCAPE, SMALL B LANDSCAPE, SMALL M LANDSCAPE, SMALL H LANDSCAPE, 2001
Acrylic on canvas
Private collection
KAWS, Untitled (KIMPSONS), Package Painting Series, 2001
Acrylic on canvas in blister package with printed card
Private collection

KAWS “decided to sell these square canvases in oversized blister packs, molded plastic packaging commonly used to contain small trays and batteries.” (Brooklyn Museum) These KIMPSONS Package Paintings might be my favorite pieces in the show.

KAWS, MAN’S BEST FRIEND, 2014
Acrylic on paper, in fifty parts
Private collection
KAWS, CHUM (KCB4), 2012
Acrylic on canvas over panel
Private collection

KAWS, CHUM, 2008
Fiberglass, paint
Private collection

CHUM is my favorite of the KAWS figures.

KAWS, GONE, 2020
Bronze, paint
Private collection

I saw this show in mid-May, so we were all still fully masked. However, that didn’t keep large groups of hip, young KAWS fans from congregating to get themselves photographed in front of GONE. A guard had to shoo people away so others could get a chance to take a look at the art. I have to admit I absolutely love seeing people get so excited about art, selfie or no selfie.

KAWS, BORN TO BEND, 2013
Aluminum, paint
Private collection

“BENDY is the sculptural version of KAWS’s skull-and-crossbones logo. This motif first appeared as part of the KAWS’s tag, or signature, on a billboard in the mid-1990s, and it subsequently appeared on modified advertisements in phone booths and bus shelters.” (Brooklyn Museum)

KAWS, URGE (wall piece), 2020
KAWS, SEPARATED (sculpture), 2020
KAWS, TIDE, 2020

This Brooklyn Rail interview is the best I’ve read about the exhibition.

KAWS, THE NEWS (2018)
Color charts for THE NEWS
Color chart (detail)
KAWS, FAR FAR DOWN, LOST TIME and ALONE AGAIN (2018)
KAWS, LOST TIME, 2016
Acrylic on canvas

Below are the color charts for the FAR FAR DOWN, LOST TIME and ALONE AGAIN. I adore color charts, and these are particularly fabulous. Donnelly understandably refers to the paintings he creates from the charts as “collages”.

KAWS, HOLIDAY, 2020
Aluminum, paint

i ordered the exhibition catalogue months ago, and cannot wait to receive it. The publisher has been great about sending updates, and know it will be worth the wait.

KAWS, AT THIS TIME, 2013
Wood
Private Collection

I’ll leave you with my six degrees of separation story: One of the first pieces in the show is an image of a drawing by Keith Haring, on a subway ad, which KAWS then painted over. When I was young and just starting out my life in a cool NYC loft down in SoHo, my husband and I were told that the young woman, whose parents owned our apartment, had been good friends with Keith Haring. He had painted on the apartment walls, while she was living there, but those paintings had sadly been covered with white paint. Tragically, the young woman died in an accident, which led her parents to eventually rent the loft to us. While we couldn’t afford the $190,000 they were asking for the loft at the time, we did end up with some great pieces of furniture the parents gave to us—including an Arne Jacobsen dining table and chairs which we still use. I like to imagine Keith Haring eating at our table.

KAWS, Untitled (Haring), 1997
Acrylic on existing advertising poster

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