KAWS Dissected Companion Gray 2006

About Auction

Live

Fine Art and Asian Art

By Revere Auctions

Sep 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-09-21 11:00:00 2019-09-21 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Art and Asian Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/revere-auctions/fine-art-and-asian-art-4421
An excellent selection of fine art, Asian art, and decorative art, featuring a striking collection of Japanese woodblock prints, a Tiffany lamp, and works by many fine contemporary artists. Revere Auctions info@revereauctions.com

View Full Catalog (436)

• Lot Description
  KAWS (b. 1974). Dissected Companion (Gray). Painted cast vinyl. Stamped "Medicom Toy 2006 China" on the underside of the right foot; stamped "c. KAWS..06" on the underside of the left foot. With original box. Provenance: Private collection, Minnesota Lot Essay: Equal parts adorable and terrifying, KAWS’ Companion is representative of KAWS’ simultaneously subversive and playful presence in the contemporary art world. Born Brian Donnelly in New Jersey in 1974, KAWS began his artistic career upon his move to New York City to study at the School of Visual Arts. He worked after graduation as a background painter for animated shows including Daria and Disney’s 101 Dalmations, but he first gained recognition as a graffiti artist, tagging things around New York with the name “KAWS,” which he had originally chosen because he liked the way the letters looked together. Soon, he began adding his eye-popping cartoon characters to the graffiti, moving closer to his current style. In addition, he began working on what he called “subvertising,” creating mocking versions of existing ads. In 1999, Donnelly was approached by Bounty Hunter, a hip Japanese streetwear brand, to create a toy. This led to the birth of his now-iconic character, Companion, an aggressive, streetwise Mickey Mouse in monochrome tones with cauliflower ears and x-ed out eyes. Immediately a huge commercial success, Companion has gone on to become a mainstay in KAWS’ art, in iterations as varied as an MTV Moonman Trophy and a giant inflatable floating on a lake. Companion and its origins are a testament to one of the most striking factors about KAWS’ work--his consistent refusal to work through traditional art market channels, preferring to mass market his work to the general public, blurring lines between art and industry. This particular edition of Companion, the Dissected Companion, was produced in 2006 by Original Fake, KAWS’ long standing collaboration with the brand Medicom. This Companion is, as its name suggests, half dissected, revealing layers of disturbingly realistic muscle, organs, and bones under the cartoonish exterior. The resulting sculpture looks like what might happen if Victor Frankenstein were to get his hands on Mickey Mouse’s corpse. The Companion ends up as a half-completed form of a creature, dead and shambling, with one eye, exposed from under the skin, open and glaring at the viewer. As in his earlier “subvertising” work, KAWS calls into question what might be going on under the surface of slick corporate creations such as Mickey Mouse. In this particular Companion, KAWS takes the metaphor a step further, literally removing the layers that soften the commercial creature, revealing the working pieces underneath. Dimensions: Height: 14 3/4 in x width: 6 1/4 in x depth: 4 in.

  SKU: 01838

  Condition

  Please contact us for a detailed condition report. Please note that the lack of a condition statement does not imply perfect condition. Email lia@revereauctions.com with any condition questions.
• Shipping Info

  • Shipping As a convenience to the Buyer, Revere Auctions will make a referral for packing and shipping. This is at the request, expense, and risk of the Buyer, and Revere Auctions assumes no responsibility for the items or the timing of delivery. Insurance for in transit items is the responsibility of the buyer See below for preferred shippers: The UPS Store #5396 40 S 7th St, Suite 212 Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-332-4117 Phone 612-332-4119 Fax www.theupsstorelocal.com/5396 (http://www.theupsstorelocal.com/5396) store5396@theupsstore.com (mailto:store5396@theupsstore.com) Museum Services Inc. 2921 Como Ave SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 Russell Belk Owner & President russell@museumservices.org (mailto:russell@museumservices.org) 612-378-1189 ext. 1

• Buyer's Premium
  • 28.00 %