Lot  120 Ravenel Autumn Auction 2019 Taipei

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2019 Taipei

Untitled (MBFW2)

KAWS (Brian Donnelly) (American, 1974)

2017

Acrylic on canvas

101.6 x 101.6 cm

Estimate

TWD 10,000,000-20,000,000

HKD 2,532,000-5,063,000

USD 323,300-646,600

CNY 2,315,000-4,630,000

Sold Price


Signature

Signed on the reverse KAWS.. and dated 17

PROVENCE:
Art Agenda, S.E.A, Singapore
Private collection, Asia

+ OVERVIEW

KAWS's original artistic inspiration came from street graffiti. He then
evolved the street culture into toys, clothing, skateboard designs,
and other derivatives, eventually undertaking oil painting, sketching,
printmaking, and other such art media. His practice aims to bridge
the boundaries between street graffiti, product design and artistic
creation. At the same time, his artwork also embodies his own
artistic style. It can be said that he is a successful epitome of global
influence, be it in the artistic, innovative, or commercial sense.
Before pop art became mainstream, American cartoon culture and
high art had already started to cross paths. As Michael Auping
observes, many of America’s pioneers of abstraction in the 1940s
and 1950s owe their artistic breakthroughs to the canon of cartoons.
Auping writes: “For that generation, one of the quickest ways to
learn how to draw and create dramatic effects through pose and
gesture was through illustration and the comics.” Auping also
points out that “Cartoons are the closest figurative equivalent to
abstraction”, and that “looking at KAWS’s paintings is to witness
someone who very naturally approaches cartoons and abstraction as
symbiotic languages of visual tropes”.
When KAWS visited Japan for the first time, he had the support
of his friends who knew all the prevalent trends. With the help of
MEDICOM TOY, KAWS created his original brand, OriginalFake
in Minamiaoyama, Tokyo. After 2008-2009, he began to focus on
creating large-scale oil paintings and giant sculptures. He also
cooperated with the American galleries on the east and west
coasts to reach more viewers with his paintings. Themes included
KawsBob, Kurfs, and later Peanut. 2010 marked the 60th anniversary
of PEANUTS, and that year was also a prosperous period for KAWS’
apparel brand OriginalFake. To celebrate PEANUTS’ birthday, KAWS
printed the image of Snoopy with his signature X-shaped eyes on
OriginalFake clothes.
KAWS was deeply awed by how cartoon characters broke language
barriers and transcended cultural differences. This drove him to
explore the cartoon images in depth. KAWS has said:“Abstraction
always interested me, because it relates to and, in a very basic way,
animation. Drawing itself is an abstract process until it becomes
something recognizable”. Describing his particular interest in
PEANUTS creator Charles M. Schulz, KAWS stated: “I’m into Schulz
as an artist, a company, an icon; I got into his stuff just because I
liked the looseness of the line work, and I thought that it was just
sort of a nice thing to bring into my paintings”. KAWS’ specific
emphasis on Schulz’s line work is significant, revealing his deepset
appreciation for the skill of sketching and drawing as well as
the centrality of the abstract line in art and design. His 2017 work,
Untitled (MBFR7), features Snoopy, the protagonist of the American
classic cartoon PEANUTS. Embodying the classic cartoon style, KAW
utilizes pure and simple black lines and boldly paints them on a
white canvas. At the same time, he has incorporated his own unique
elements - his "XX" on the eyes of the characters, connecting
the audience with the intimate cartoon faces of their childhood.
The re-made cartoon image marked by the "X" eyes of KAWS's
imprint intensifies the main subjects. It has become secret code that
highlights the code that KAWS uses to communicate with the world
across national borders.
Related Info

Modern & Contemporary Asian Art

Ravenel Autumn Auction 2019 Taipei

Sunday, December 1, 2019, 2:00pm