KAWS Artist Level Guidelines

Works by KAWS, specifically the collectibles made by various collaborators, are popular with collectors on Artsy. Due to this mass appeal, there are many pieces that, while authorized by the artist and his studio, were not made by the artist and can therefore be challenging to clearly and accurately represent. These guidelines are meant to help you optimize your KAWS listings for collectors on Artsy, while avoiding common pitfalls that may result in your works being unpublished.

In order for a work to be listed as by KAWS, one of the following must be true:

1. The work was created by KAWS
   
   Example:
   
    
2. The work was created by collaborators, but is authorized by the artist's studio. These items include art merchandise, and should be listed Ephemera or Merchandise. The collaborating manufacturer should be listed in the manufacturer field.
   

Example:

Please note that any unauthorized reproductions or unauthorized works that use the imagery of KAWS cannot be listed on Artsy. Please see our listing requirements for more details.

As previously noted, KAWS works with collaborators to create works, typically art merchandise. These works may use the attribution qualifier X to Signify by (ex: KAWS x [email protected]), but for the best visibility, we recommend attributing the work to KAWS and listing the manufacturer in the manufacturer field.These listings should still be listed as Ephemera or Merchandise, never as Sculpture. Example:

If a work is miscataloged, our catalog operations team will reach out with instructions to amend the listing or request additional information. If the listing is not updated or our team does not receive the information we request, the listing will be unpublished.

After three such cases, we may take action with regards to your account, such as unpublishing works, suspending your use of Buy Now, Make Offer, and Make Offer in Inquiries, or suspending or terminating your account. We understand that good faith mistakes may happen, and so we will typically issue a warning before such action, although we reserve the right to take action earlier based on the severity of the misrepresentation.

Please note, our listing requirements are continually updated based on the above qualifications, as such it is possible that there are comparable items currently listed on Artsy.