KAWS
Contemporary Artist
Conexión con Miami
KAWS has elevated Miami's status as a global art capital with high-profile exhibitions, including the bold sculptures and paintings at Opera Gallery Bal Harbour from December 18, 2025, to January 15, 2026, aligning perfectly with the city's vibrant street-to-luxury art scene from Wynwood to Art Basel. A $2 million, 16-foot statue installed at The Plaza Coral Gables in October 2023 adds monumental public art to South Florida, drawing crowds and reinforcing Miami's intersection of culture and spectacle.
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Born Brian Donnelly on November 4, 1974, in Jersey City, New Jersey, KAWS grew up immersed in graffiti culture and the New York metropolitan scene before earning a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts in 1996. His career began with street interventions and freelance animation for Disney on shows like 101 Dalmatians, Daria, and Doug, evolving into subversive works like Package Paintings and satirical takes on characters such as The Simpsons. He has achieved massive commercial success, with auctions at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips totaling $27.2 million by 2019, and monumental installations like the 115-foot Companion in Hong Kong. KAWS maintains strong Miami connections through exhibitions such as the 2025 solo show at Opera Gallery in Bal Harbour and a $2 million, 16-foot statue unveiled in Coral Gables in 2023. Today, he continues as a multidisciplinary artist represented by galleries like Skarstedt in New York.