9/2007 UPDATE: So I’ve been totally slacking on updates. Until I get my shit together, try these two links:

• The Pirovinoprojex Kaws page. Mr. Pirovino is a great guy and a talented photographer.
• There’s a good thread for Kaws discussion over at the Kidrobot forum.
• If you’re just getting your collection started, you might want to check Desized’s price guide. It’s approximate, but definitely a good start. Protip: most eBay Buy-It-Now prices are inflated. Also, Chums are increasingly hard to come by.

On a personal note, I’m maybe looking to buy a small canvas maybe? or a bronze? So if you’ve got one at a reasonable price, email me.

How do I get in touch with Kaws?
The only way I know of is to email info@kawsone.com, which is listed on the Kaws website. I’m not Kaws, I’m not part of the Kaws family, I’m paying double retail for the Pushead Companions like the rest of y’all!

Who is Kaws?
His real name is Brian Donnelly; he’s from Jersey City, born in 1974. He attended New York’s School of Visual Arts and worked for Disney as a freelance animator after graduation. I met him last year at a rare personal appearance at Undefeated LA - the place was beyond packed, and he seemed nervous and shy. If I were to sum him up in a sentance, it would be “Kaws is a major figure in the movement of underground graffiti culture to the mainstream of gallery art and commercial absorption that began with Jean-Michel Basquiat,” which is true, but doesn’t say anything about the content of his work, or why it’s so magnetic.

I wrote this
Because there doesn’t seem to be a central place to go on the web for information about Kaws, or a catalog of his editions. I’m hoping other Kaws heads will leave notes in the comments to help expand my coverage.

A note on swiping stuff
I’ve tried to provide citations where I can, but I’ve also indiscriminately stolen images (from eBay, Kid Robot, etc.) They’re hosted on my own server, so I’m not sucking bandwidth from anyone. If you own the copyrights on any of the images and are mad, let me know and I’ll take them down.

Toys

1999

First toy released, the Companion, in partnership with Japan’s Bounty Hunter label. Three colorways.

2000

Kaws X Miffy plush released in collaboration with Real Mad Hectic. I’m making a total guess on the year of release.

2001
Nothing.

2002

Accomplice released in black, edition of 500, and pink, limited to 1000. These are my personal favorites.

Chum - released in five colorways by the 360 Toy Group.

The first four Kubrick Bus Stop sets were released in 2002.

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Set 4

8/24: 400% and 1000% Be@rbrick Companion released.

Here’s the 100% Be@rbrick:

2003

Kubrick Set 5

4/19 - Kaws Nadsat dispenser released at HMV Japan. Nadsat is Medicom’s version of Pez.

6/23 - Be@rbrick “Chomper” released in 100% and 400% sizes in Japan.

400% Kubrick Chum

2004

July: Bendys in six colorways, limited to 500.
The regular colors:

The special red Colette edition:

November: Blitz in three colorways, limited to 500.

2005

January: 5 Years Later Companions released in three colorways, each limited to 500.

April: Kaws X A Bathing Ape figures of Milo, Gutan and Alf.

Late July: Green glow-in-the-dark Companion released.

August: Blue glow-in-the-dark Companion offered for presale through Kaws’ website.

September: 400% laser-engraved wooden Be@rbrick unveiled at the Be@rbrick World Wide Tour in Japan.

December: A Kaws X Pushead Compainion in bronze was the surprise for sale at Pushead’s booth at the 21st World Character Convention (WCC). Limited to 150 pieces? Three more colorways are forthcoming.

2006
Original Fake Bearbrick Mickey 100%, 400%, 1000%
The Twins (collaboration with Reas). Brown 500, Pink 500, Glitter Bitch 150
Original Fake green Pushead Companion 500
Bounty Hunter Kaws-Kun. Black 200, White 200, Black/white 200?, Brown 200?.
Dissected Companion grey 1000
Dissected Companion mono 500
Dissected Companion black 500

Paintings, prints, lithographs and books

1987-1991
Kaws himself says

My first interest in graffitti came when I was in grammar school, around ‘87 or ‘88 I was about twelve years old. I did not know much about writing, I just knew that I liked to write my name everywhere I could in my neighborhood. At that time I knew nothing about the world of graff that was happening in New York. I just knew the few names I saw around my area. Later on, around ‘91. I started getting into bombing on a more serious level,trying to cover larger areas of Jersey and Manhattan, especially Soho.

From the Art Crimes interview.

1992-1996
Got his BFA from the School of Visual Arts - I’m assuming he did it in four years. In this article from 2000, it’s said that Kaws worked six hours a day on traditional life painting and is “more likely to name-check painters like Gerhard Richter, Klaus Oldenberg and Chuck Close than graffiti contemporaries.” The studio art he produced during this period is uninteresting (1,2); however, outside, he was developing his style of adding original graffiti to advertisements and billboards. In 1995, according to an article in Juxtapoz Summer Special 2004, Twist (Barry McGee)” gave Kaws a key “that allowed him to open the advertising windows in phone booths.”

1997

Not sure what was going on this year.

1998

Received the Pernod Liquid Art award.

1999
Kaws Exposed book released, in conjunction with Colette, printed in an edition of 2000 with 50 signed and numbered by La Publigraphie, Paris.

Undercover poster set of five, including four stickers.

Tokion poster - “Tokion has commissioned ’90s graffiti heavyweights Barry McGee (Twist), Phil Frost, Shepard Fairey (Andre the Giant), KAWS and Misha Hollenbach (Perks) to participate in the project as representatives of the new generation and evolution of the original ’80s graffiti movement. The artists will create original Tokion posters to be used in a sniping campaign in the four aforementioned cities. Twist’s posters will appear in Los Angeles, KAWS’ in San Francisco, Shepard Fairey’s in New York City, and Perks’ in Seattle. The posters will remain visible from July through September 1999.” (Thanks Ezekiel!)

2000
January: Window Installation - New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York

February 18 to March 15: Showing at Magidson Fine Art, New York.

October: Window Installation - New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York

2001
Arkitip #11 - not 100% sure on the publication date. Regardless, the magazine came with eight Kimpsons trading cards and was limited to an edition of 500.

3/16-4/16: Exhibition at PARCO, in Japan.

2002
January 18 - February 17: C9 exhibit at the MU Art Foundation - Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

KAWS C10: The Paintings of KAWS released by Neverstop in an edition of 3000. 50 signed and numbered copies were also released.

#@!*$: Recent Works exhibition and portfolio of three prints at the Elms Lester gallery in London:

Companion v. Pikachu

Chum v. Astroboy

Companion v. Astroboy. (Thanks to Brad for the pictures!)

Print for Artomatic’s “Ilikeprinting” series, a photograph of two pages of his sketchbook.

2003

January 2003: Part of the Yuzen History Mix exhibition at the MU Art Foundation - Eindhoven, The Netherlands. “Yuzen History Mix shows kimono designs by traditional Japanese artists and international contemporary artists. The designs in MU are presented on panels of 270 cm x 90 cm, which show the traditional designs on one side and the designs by international young artists on the reverse side.”

Arkitip #20. Came with a magnet. Edition of 1000.

March: Sleaze Nation: front cover and poster.

September: Exhibition at the BAPE Gallery in Tokyo.

2004

Kaws X Undefeated billboard project print, limited to 250. Given away with purchase of a t-shirt.

2005

May: “Warm Regards” print, sold through kawsone.com, edition of 200.

2006
Baby print, 100.
Dissected Companion print, grey, 100.
Dissected Companion print, mono, 100.
Dissected Companion print, black, 100.

Need dates and photos

Kaws Astroboy toys - 1/1 through 360 Toy Group.

Prints for PARCO: Brown OG Companion/Pink OG Companion.

Kimpsons drawings for the twenty04/MADE Gallery in Canada.

Links
The official site.
OriginalFake, the store in Tokyo.
Kaws’ blog at Honeyee.
Kaws at work in his studio; photos by Peter Sutherland.
Kaws1.com - a fan site.