KAWS is an American artist and designer who paints, sculpts, and creates toys. Pop Art and culture permeate his cartoonish figures—such as his Disney-esque Companion—which bear a resemblance to Takashi Murakami’s illustrations. Born Brian Donnelly on November 4, 1974 in Jersey City, NJ, KAWS worked in animation after graduating with his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Having started as a graffiti artist in New York in the early 1990s, KAWS reworked advertisements in his distinct style to acclaim. His work can be found in the collections at the High Museum, Atlanta, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Rosenblum Collection in Paris. Continually blurring the boundaries between fine and commercial art, he currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.