Brian Donnelly, aka KAWS, has long been an avid art collector, beginning as a young graffiti artist trading sketch books with friends. For the past 20 years, the US artist and designer has nosed around galleries buying works by his favourite artists, including Raymond Pettibon and Robert Crumb, from dealers such as David Zwirner. Although he did not grow up with art at home (“unless you count paintings of the woods”) he says “collecting was ever present, if not conscious”. His preference: Star Wars editions from the 1970s. KAWS studied at New York’s School of Visual Arts, “looking at Bouguereau [during the day] and then doing freight trains [at night]”. So when we asked KAWS, who is in town for his new show, Blackout, at Skarstedt gallery, to tour Frieze Masters with us, a similarly eclectic mix of works caught his eye.
Frieze London 2019gallery
KAWS picks his favourite works at Frieze Masters
The US artist and designer has had a life-long love affair with collecting
4 October 2019