Too bad KAWS didn’t make Tex a custom pair of xtra-tight shorts to match…

Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG is currently busy training in Nice, France, warming up on the epic Col de la Madone for this weekend’s competition at the legendary MILAN-SAN REMO day race. A difficult endurance trial for sprinters, the unusually long run will no doubt be made more palatable by the arrival of Lance’s new ride that will see him across the finish line: the KAWS x TREK MADONE 6.9. Keep an eye on ST for race updates this weekend…

The KAWS x Trek Madone 6.9 sunning in the south of France. Being the best cyclist in the world excuses you from not being the best photographer on earth…

Pop killer KAWS just put the finishing touches on his new design for Supertouch buddy LANCE ARMSTRONG’s new TREK Madone 6.9 road bike set to roll in the upcoming MILAN-SAN REMO race. Unveiled tonite at NIKE’s MONTALBAN THEATER by Lance himself, the cycle marks the kickoff of the new “Stages” art bike campaign being waged to help expand the LIVESTRONG foundation’s global anti-cancer fight. HAVE A LOOK: Read the rest of this entry »

…and it hits stands Monday, March 2nd. Don’t sleep.

KAWS‘ street hits were the freshest on the block back in ‘97 when an incredibly young-looking Brian Donnelley was getting busy on the billboards and bus stops of NYC and Tokyo on the regular. Here we see some rare footage of the youthful media manipulator on the go with commentary by fellow bomber RON ENGLISH…

Shepard and Amanda Fairey roll out the west coast welcome wagon for KAWS…

KAWS‘ anxiously anticipated new show “The Long Way Home,” opened its doors to an absolutely massive crowd at HONOR FRASER gallery in LA last nite, with a queue that wrapped entirely around the block (and then some) for the duration of the frenzied two-hour opening. KAWS’ incredibly well behaved legion of faithful followers did their best to make the Brooklyn-based artist feel welcome in his first west coast solo exhibition that featured new paintings (the largest of which went to collector and Supertouch buddy Lance Armstrong), sculptures, a 20″ solid bronze Chum figure and a new series of “Kurfs” and “Kawsbob” package paintings that were all spoken for well before the opening festivities kicked off. The evening’s attending “A-list” included Everlast, Todd James, Robert & Suzanne Williams, Lupe Fiasco, Rosson Crow, Eric Elms, Miguel de la Barracuda, Shepard & Amanda Fairey, Scott Campbell, actor & Iron Man II screenwriter Justin Theroux, Cassette Playa’s Carrie Mundane, LAMJC’s Michael Dupouy, ANP Quarterly’s Brendan Fowler, legendary Pop artist Kenny Scharf, and the incredible Chrome Hearts/Vice “Dont’s” column guy with the crusty egg whites in his spiked hair (see below). Of course, a lot of KAWS’ less savvy enthusiasts didn’t quite understand that a proper art opening is not the place to ask an artist to sign your entire toy collection carried along in plastic grocery bags and the message boards will no doubt be ablaze this morning with unwarranted hate mail from a wave of unsatisfied eBay flippers (along with the 200 or so fans who couldn’t get into the show because of mandatory time & fire marshal capacity constraints). A 600+ collector waiting list for the show’s 18 paintings, however, proved testament to the pure heat of KAWS’ unfulfilled demand in the art market and a huge story in the day’s LA Times was just icing on the cake. HAVE A LOOK (and tune in for opening photos tonite): Read the rest of this entry »

KAWS pictured with Lance Armstrong’s latest acquisition…

TAG, THIS ARTIST IS DEFINITELY IT
KAWS becomes a brand name as his images appear on hip-hoppers’ clothes and on gallery walls.
By Chris Lee
February 21, 2009, LATimes

Over the course of a career that has variously infuriated anti-graffiti task force officers and enthralled Japanese street couture collectors—meaning winning props from hip-hop superstars Kanye West and Pharrell Williams—the pop artist KAWS has carved a unique niche for himself. The soft-spoken 34-year-old Jersey City native, born Brian Donnelly, created a new business model that bridges the high-low culture divide in ways that would have made steam come out of Andy Warhol’s ears.

By parlaying vandalism into a brand identity as a purveyor of mass-produced collectible toys, KAWS became a bona fide subculture celebrity with a recognizable presence in street fashion.

But now, KAWS is at a career turning point. In spite of his renown in subcultural circles (which galleristas and museum directors have historically snobbed), he is now being mentioned in the same breath as pop art luminaries, such as Takashi Murakami, Keith Haring and Jeff Koons. And while KAWS has proven himself perfectly capable of trafficking his own pop offerings—on skateboard decks, stickers, T-shirts and sneakers—KAWS has infiltrated the rarefied world of institutional art after being held at arm’s distance from it for much of his career. Pretty fly for a graf guy.

“When I grew up, I never thought I could enter a gallery,” KAWS said over lunch at Chateau Marmont this week. “I looked at them as these pretentious places that did not welcome me.” Click HERE to continue reading…

KAWS fans already going into synaptic overload at the thought of Mr. Donnelley’s opening of new works at HONOR FRASER this Saturday nite can rejoice in the news that Friday nite, February 20th will see an additional event by the XX-eyed imagist featuring new artwork at the Culver City hotspot ROYAL T. You just better hope you RSVP’d in time. Needless to say, keep it locked on ST for coverage tomorrow…

Rabid KAWS fanatics are literally counting the hours till the Brooklyn-based Pop phenomenon opens the doors to his new solo show “The Long Way Home,” at HONOR FRASER gallery in LA on SATURDAY NITE, FEBRUARY 21st. Featuring an incredible array of new paintings and sculptures, the exhibition is a real stylistic breakthrough for the artist and promises some good surprises for longtime fans who thought they’d seen it all. Pictured here are some tight details of the epic new paintings just to get the drool factor pumping in advance. Full coverage of the show starts on Saturday at 6pm, stay tuned…