About the Artist

Biography

KAWS is a notable artist and a limited-edition toy and clothing designer. He was born in Jersey City, NJ, as Brian Donnelly. In elementary school, he first became interested in graffiti, where he spent most of his time copying graffiti images onto paper. His first influences were neighborhood children that tagged walls within his community. As he grew older, his influences developed to traditional life painters such as Gerhard Richter, Klaus Oldenberg, and Chuck Close.