Chapter 1
The secret agent of street art
Chapter 2
The toy revolution
Chapter 3
Giant takeovers and public art
Chapter 4
The multi-million dollar auction boom
YOUR GOAL
Master of How KAWS hacked the art world
Ch 1 · The secret agent of street art
choko KAWS Subvertising
He unlocked the glass with a secret key, To rewrite the ads for the world to see.
choko Born in 1974 in Jersey City, Brian Donnelly chose the letters K, A, W, and S for their balanced graphic flow.
choko The artist balanced daytime animation work with nighttime graffiti before creating giant sculptures.
BETA
choko Swipe to paint over street ads to learn how KAWS reached multi-million dollar auctions.
Fun Fact
KAWS animator career: Before making millions in fine art, KAWS painted backgrounds for the cartoon show Doug.
Glossary
subvertising (noun)
The practice of modifying commercial or political advertisements, typically as a form of artistic or political protest. In 1996, Brian Donnelly began subvertising by modifying New York City phone booth advertisements.
The practice of modifying commercial or political advertisements, typically as a form of artistic or political protest. In 1996, Brian Donnelly began subvertising by modifying New York City phone booth advertisements.
Quiz
Which of these popular 1990s animated television shows did KAWS paint background art for?
Quiz
For which major entertainment company did KAWS work as a freelance animator in the late 1990s?
Quiz
What was the term used for KAWS's practice of taking, altering, and returning corporate street advertisements?
Quiz
Which fellow street artist gifted KAWS the skeleton key that unlocked New York's advertising vitrines?
Quiz
Which early snake-like KAWS character was famously painted wrapping around supermodels in hijacked fashion ads?