Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS, is recognized for his vibrant colors and pop paintings of characters with crossed-out eyes. The artist began his career as a graffiti artist in New York, tagging and altering billboards, walls, and advertisements around the city. Upon graduating from art school, KAWS went to Japan where he began production on various products and toys. There, he also collaborated with Nigo of A Bathing Bape.
The artist's acrylic paintings and sculptures have a cartoonish quality to them, and frequently feature similar icons such as The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Mickey Mouse. KAWS has also worked with silkscreen screenprints.
KAWS has been exhibited at, among other venues, The High Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England, and currently has a 20-year survey exhibition traveling from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth to the Yuz Museum in Shanghai. His work has been shown in the public realm, including ARTZUID outside the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Frieze Sculpture Park, London; and Hong Kong's Harbour City. He has collaborated with international brands including Uniqlo, Comme des Garcons, Nike, Lucas Film, and MTV. He has made cover artwork for the October 2015 W Magazine Art Issue (with Drake) and for Kanye West's 2008 album, 808's, and Heartbreak. In addition to clothing and other items, he has made limited edition vinyl toys since the late 1990s, including Japanese company Medicom Toy his own company OriginalFake.