LUA Blog: The Kaw-ling: Graffiti Artist KAWS Knows Street Art Chic

This is not your average figurine...

In a Stroke:
Brian Donelly, otherwise known as KAWS, is a pop art superstar painter, sculptor, designer and one of the most influential voices in the contemporary art scene. Known for his "X" marked figures and larger than life sculptures, KAWS is shaking up the meaning of toys.

Rebel , Rebel, Toys and Trouble:

Graffitti-bombing trains, planes and billboards in his home town of Jersey City took up most of KAWS teen years. Wanting to create more impact, KAWS soon graduated to a more covert form of street art. He began stealing posters from bus stops, adding his own signature graphics to them, and then returning them to the same spot. These hits were so skillfully executed - not one brush stroke could be detected - that it was almost impossible to distinguish the artist's work from the original advertisement.

Out of the Shadows:
KAWS has gone from rebel street painter to running with big names like Kanye West and Nike. He has produced everything from his trademark "x"-marked sneakers for Nike to an album cover for a special edition of Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak (2008). With a monograph from Skira/Rizzoli due out this fall and the Aldrich show at his doorstep, KAWS has gotten approval from an art-world establishment that he felt would never accept his work.