Chum

Outlined in orange on black, the first Chum work recalls the early work of Keith Haring who also made his name by drawing on advertising panels. With his unorthodox route to fame, KAWS also appears to be following in the footsteps of Jean-Michel Basquiat who was known for tagging the walls of New York along with Al Diaz. KAWS places himself in a tradition of artists who believe art is for the people rather than an art world elite. Favouring accessibility over profit, in his early days KAWS was trying to become a part of the street culture and language he had grown up with in New Jersey and New York, and to reach a wide audience before the days of selfies and retweets. Speaking of this desire to make art for everyone KAWS has said, “When I was doing graffiti, my whole thought was, “I just want to exist.” I want to exist with this visual language in the world… It meant nothing to me to make paintings if I wasn’t reaching people.”

The Chum figure would continue to appear in works such as the 2002 Chum vs. Astroboy, a monochrome screen print which depicts the Michelin Man standing on the manga character’s neck with a curious expression on his clown-like face. That year, KAWS also painted Chum on canvas in a running pose, his face turned toward the viewer with a determined look, as if ready to burst out of the canvas. These works are related to a piece from 2012, CHUM (KCB7) which recently became KAWS’ highest selling work at auction.

The Chum figure has also been featured on a pair of DC shoes – a brand favoured by skaters – in yet another ‘KAWS x’ collaboration that has marked him out as one of the most commercially savvy artists of his generation. Chum can also be bought as a key chain, figurine and pin, as well as a blister packaged canvas that, despite being an original work, has been packaged to look like a limited-edition collectible toy or promotional item.

Once again with Chum, KAWS subverts the traditional dichotomy of so-called ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. Like Andy Warhol and Haring before him, KAWS plays with the notion of uniqueness and exclusivity that is so precious to the art world. Ironically KAWS is now considered a blue-chip artist and his work is greatly sought after by dealers and collectors. KAWS is also in demand for collaborations by brands whose advertisements he would have once had to graffiti in order to attach his name to theirs.

One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of buying work by KAWS is by using us to reach a seller. MyArtBroker is a curated site, meaning we feature artists that our collectors say they want. You can find KAWS art for sale here. You’ll need to create a free account to buy or sell with us.

If you're looking to sell art by KAWS, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.