Official KAWS Art thread

soundklash · **Joined:** Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:17 pm **Posts:** 1164

MeatB^G · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:13 pm

I'd love to see kaws pics. I've got a a Kate Moss White Gloves print and an OG Kimpsons... Both thanks to piro.

pirovino · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:32 pm

As most have noticed, I've been pretty quiet for months now. I'm still active, but I don't really post much. I'm happy to help a few friends get some sick pieces...look forward to seeing what you do with the Kimpsons, MB!!

Since you asked, Luis, I'm happy to start this out...

A couple of pieces from my OG collection:

1. Product Painting, Untitled Chum. Acrylic on canvas, with reversable printed card and blister pack, 2003. 20 x 24 x 4 inches. These pieces are documented in the book C10.

2. Bronze Accomplice, Pearl/Silver. hot-cast bronze, with hand-painted box, 2006. Edition of 10. I took this pic in my hotel room in Tokyo, when I visited in early May:

Currently, KAWS has 2 paintings in a NYC show called POPcentric at Gering & Lopez Gallery. If you have $20k ready to dispatch, there may still be one available...

psychopainter · **Posted:** Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:39 pm

Great stuff Pirovino! Sometime I'd like to see photos of your entire collection. I know you've said several times that you've only posted parts of it.

pirovino wrote:

Currently, KAWS has 2 paintings in a NYC show called POPcentric at Gering & Lopez Gallery. If you have $20k ready to dispatch, there may still be one available...

I checked these out. The second piece is very nice. Kaws seems to be evolving his style.

soundklash · **Joined:** Fri Sep 16, 2005 11:17 pm **Posts:** 1164

Wow Ronnie those two pieces are beyond words! congrats maman!!

Im curious to see whats on the other side of the blister pack?

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 3:55 am

Thank you, Luis. Psycho, I'd be glad to share some of my other stuff with you. I'd prefer to do it over email.

L, this is the other side of a 'Product Painting'.

As you know, the book C10 documents 2 varieties of this legendary series: those with a black & white printed card with 2 versions of the Chum on either side; and the Kimpsons series (which are Kimpsons paintings with a Kimpsons printed card). I believe there were at least three major shows that featured these pieces: Elms Lesters, London; Museum de Witte Dame, Netherlands; and Bape Gallery, Tokyo. I also believe some 'Product Paintings' were offered by an art dealer in Seattle around that time. The Beautiful Losers exhibition, which I think is set to go to another destination soon, after showings in Europe, has the following 6 Kimpsons 'Product Paintings' for viewing...

These 'Product Paintings' are all the same size, similar to mine. I'm hopeful that the meetings with Groening are leading to something really sick...(beyond the Vans).

Winu · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 3:58 am

This is some great stuff. :prayer:

lordlupus · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:02 am

Great collection, Piro. =D>

What about the kaws "pillar'? :-k

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:20 am

This year has been very special for my collection. I was fortunate enough to bring in a second 'Product Painting':

Lord, as far as 'pillar', do you mean the 4ft Companion? Mine's still in Japan...

lordlupus · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:22 am

Nay mate, the pillar I was mentioning is the box from the New Museum show of 2000. That piece has always impressed me.

By the way, are you in Zurich now? I should be flying there in November

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:27 am

Gotcha! I have to take some nice pics of the 'pillar' or 'monolith'...I love it, too. Since it's painted on 5 sides, I need to take a nice shot of each 'painting'. This is a crude shot of it, in one of my displays:

I'm in LA, but, as you know, I'm a Swiss citizen. I hope to move to Zurich in a few years. My father lives in Lugano. Zurich is amazing. My uncle got his PhD there and I remember great visits with him at the Swiss Federal Institute of Tech. Have a great time in Switz

Here's a pic from the New Museum show in NYC in 2000 (release of the '99 Companions), with the wood box (acrylic) pointed out for reference:

Winu · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 4:49 pm

Why is it that a lot of Kaws art is always in a box like one you would find packaging an action figure?

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:08 pm

Winu, only 'Product Paintings' are presented in such a way by KAWS. This series is probably the most famous of his paintings because there's a whole book celebrating them called C10. These paintings represent his most powerful statement on commercialism...I have other paintings that are not presented in this way. Making them very rare, 'Product Paintings' were mainly released between 2000-2003 and that's it...similar to his early work on poster advertising, it was a 'stage' in the body of his artwork.

This is an example of his most recent work from 2007:

It's one of the two paintings he made available new show in NYC called POPcentric.

sindekat · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:15 pm

the other canvas was the one hanging in his studio for the longest. it looks like he added a little to it. thats the one to own...if its still available. and are they really 20K a pop? i dont doubt it im just wondering if someone confirmed it

Uncleplant · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:29 pm

That parrot doesn't have an X on its eye...

Picture of the second one? I'd love to see it.

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:44 pm

Yes, $20k each....that's straight from the gallery.

The other piece contains KAWS' allusion to Goya's 18th Century 'Linda Maestra, Plate 68 of Los Caprichos', which is really provocative and ultimately what makes this piece very, very interesting:

Winu · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:27 pm

I can't wait to get a Job. $\:D/$

joshua · **Joined:** Tue Sep 13, 2005 2:35 am **Posts:** 1818

pirovino wrote:

do you know how much these originally sold for?
just curious how much his stuff went for back then.

pirovino · **Posted:** Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:40 pm

joshua wrote:

do you know how much these originally sold for?

Very good question. I acquired my 'Product Paintings' from private collectors. One of the sources quoted paying $3500 in 2000. The market value of these pieces today is easily 5x-6x that number.

psychopainter · **Posted:** Sun Jul 08, 2007 12:29 am

Winu wrote:

I can't wait to get a Job. $\:D/$

If you're going to collect Kaws, it better be a high-paying job. :expensive:

Or, you could make a sign that said "Will Work for Kaws". :lol:

BTW, I love that painting with the skeleton. It kind of reminds me of a comic book version of Jeff Koons.

Torsten$boy · **Posted:** Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:00 am

Some nice pieces and info here. Thanks Ronnie.

Winu · **Posted:** Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:24 am

Ahhhhh, I wish Kaws would do a show here in southern California! $\:D/$

---NT--- · **Posted:** Sun Jul 08, 2007 3:38 am

As always, nice stuff Ronnie!
The "product paintings" actually sold for $800 originally. I kick myself for knowing this. Unfortunately I was saving for a winter-long snowboarding trip when I ran across 15-20 of these pieces. The snowboard trip had been a dream of mine since I was 6. I now wish that I had passed on it and bought all of the KAWS paintings instead.

puredexterity · **Joined:** Mon May 07, 2007 2:04 am **Posts:** 981

joshua wrote:

pirovino wrote:

Image

do you know how much these originally sold for?
just curious how much his stuff went for back then.

OMG I love that piece

pirovino · **Posted:** Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:55 am

Nat, that's amazing with the original pricing!! I'm guessing that perhaps they crept up over the years they were offered. They sure made good investments, based on today's going rate. In the scheme of things, with Banksy becoming the 'octane' for the contemporary art market, KAWS is far from over-valued. I'm hoping he does a big art show in the next couple of years. In essence, he is an artist that is operating outside the gallery scene with top success. He is releasing artwork on his terms, mostly to friends and 'vips' in the way of commissions. For instance, those Smurf canvases that we saw in his studio, when he put the 4ft Companion pic in his blog, are for Pharell Williams...as an 'outsider' it's been tough to get great stuff - a real hunt - but it's not totally impossible...if you're a friend of his, it's almost too easy to cop a sweet joint!!

Let's hope for a big show soon!!

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