KAWS’s latest charity initiative sees one of his paintings being donated to Free Arts NYC—an organization that provides access to art programming, mentorship, and creates opportunities for the youth in underserved communities across New York City—with all of the proceeds going to the NGO.
The painting is an acrylic on canvas 36-by-30-inch zoomed-in depiction of KAWS’s Michelin Man-inspired character CHUM. WHAT PARTY (KCC3) 2019 is a must-have for collectors and KAWS fans alike as the artist rarely depicts the subject highlighted across works in his prolific oeuvre. The work also points back to a giant WHAT PARTY statue unveiled in Hong Kong, as well as the artist’s upcoming major survey that’s launching at the Brooklyn Museum in February 2021.
To spice things up, just moments after the announcement of the painting’s raffle, Japanese luxury fashion brand Sacai made a generous donation of $50,000 for the piece. The artist took to Instagram and conveyed to his followers to “seize this unique opportunity to acquire a painting by KAWS and show your commitment to advancing equity in the arts. Your donation will directly support helping over 2,000 youth in NYC thrive through creativity. By making a $100 USD donation you can enter for a chance to win this painting I donated. The more entries you make the better your chances to win (and think about all the good karma you will be receiving!!!)”