Rebel Without A KAWS

February 16, 2009 at 4:46 PM | by cmb | Comments (0)

Following in the footsteps of Shepard Fairey, street artist KAWS is celebrating his first solo show in Los Angeles this weekend.

KAWS, aka Brian Donnelly, told CBS news that he chose his name nearly twenty years ago while tagging buildings in his hometown of Jersey City, NJ.

"It's just a combination of letters I liked," he told CBS. "And when your whole art's based on the lettering you choose, you kinda figure out what ones work together. I just liked the shapes of the k, a, w, s. It has no meaning."

KAWS began his signature mark--placing Xs over the eyes of recognizable figures in pop culture- in the early 90s and quickly made a name for himself in the street art world. His most popular pieces include several paintings of Smurfs and vinyl Stormtrooper figurines, all with Xs for eyes.

Today, he has moved on to bigger and better things, crossing over from street art legend to the mainstream. He recently designed the cover of Kayne West�s "808�s and Heartbreak� and has collaborated with Nike and Marc Jacobs. KAWS tries to maintain his street cred by releasing a limited number of each product, sometimes leaving fans that get shut out of his sales disappointed.

But the demand for his new pieces show no signs of waning. He recently completed several new sculptures for the L.A., some of which will sell for as much as $100,000 a piece. Though it�s a balancing act, KAWS has been able to maintain the integrity that drew many fans to his work while still expanding to reach a larger audience.

�KAWS; The Long Way Home� opens February 21, 2009 at Honor Fraser Gallery, 2622 South La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles. An opening reception will be held on Saturday from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Related Stories:
· KAWS [Official Site]
· Honor Fraser Gallery [Official Site]

[Photo: Vapors]

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