Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index
Running Chum (3)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Running Chum (3) is a screenprint rendering of KAWS's Chum character in mid-stride, the puffy, Michelin-Man-derived figure whose body is studded with the artist's signature crossbones and whose face carries the trademark X-ed-out eyes. Chum descends from the Kimpsons/Michelin lineage of KAWS's reworked pop mascots and appears here as a flat, bold graphic with the energetic posture that the 'Running' designation implies. As one panel in a numbered set of color variations, it pairs a recognizable cartoon silhouette with KAWS's reductive palette and clean vector-like edges, the type of limited screenprint edition that translates his vinyl and painting iconography into an accessible wall work.
Collector notes: Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
Chum is one of KAWS's foundational characters, second only to Companion in how clearly it embodies his strategy of hijacking a beloved corporate mascot — in this case the Michelin Man — and reissuing it with crossbones, skull motifs, and dead X eyes that drain the cheer out of advertising imagery. The Running Chum prints matter because they distill that gesture into a dynamic, instantly legible figure, and because the numbered color series invites collectors to assemble sets, a behavior KAWS deliberately cultivates across his editions. Owning a Running Chum places a collector inside the lineage that connects KAWS's late-1990s subway interventions and bus-shelter ad disruptions to his blue-chip auction presence. The work also documents the X-eyes-and-skull vocabulary that has become shorthand for an entire era of street-rooted contemporary art, making it both a decorative object and a marker of KAWS's role in pushing graffiti sensibilities into the gallery and the global toy-and-print market.
Collector Perspective
Running Chum (3) appeals to collectors who already own or covet Companion editions and want the more aggressive, mascot-forward Chum in their holdings. Its bold flat graphic and confident stride make it an easy hang in modern, design-forward interiors, and the strong color separation reads well from across a room. Within a KAWS collection it functions as a complement rather than a centerpiece: it deepens a set, especially for buyers chasing the numbered Running Chum variations as a group, and it signals fluency in KAWS's character roster beyond the ubiquitous Companion. Print-focused and younger collectors gravitate to works like this as an accessible entry into the artist at a friendlier price point than sculpture.
Historical Context
Chum emerges from KAWS's habit of appropriating corporate cartoon mascots, sitting alongside his reworkings of figures like SpongeBob, the Smurfs, and the Michelin Man during the period when he was transitioning from illicit subway and ad-takeover work toward studio editions, vinyl toys, and gallery painting. The Running Chum prints belong to his mature print practice, when KAWS had established a reliable visual grammar — crossbones, X eyes, swollen pop bodies — and was issuing screenprint editions that paralleled his sculptures and canvases. They reflect the moment his street-derived language was fully absorbed into a collectible, market-driven output, bridging the graffiti roots and the monumental, blue-chip stature he would later achieve with Companion balloons and large-scale public sculpture.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2000
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Chum Series
- Medium and materials
- Medium and materials were not documented in the saved record.
- Edition details
- Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats KAWS's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2000. It is grouped under Chum Series in the saved record.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- KAWSONE — official site — KAWS studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- KAWS — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- KAWS (Q3194367) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
Who is the Chum character?
Chum is one of KAWS's core characters, derived from the Michelin Man and reworked with his signature crossbones and X-ed-out eyes. It recurs across his prints, paintings, and vinyl figures.
Is Running Chum (3) part of a series?
Yes. It is one of a numbered set of Running Chum prints issued in different colorways, which collectors often pursue as a group.
What does 'Running' refer to?
It describes the figure's dynamic mid-stride pose, distinguishing this composition from static Chum portraits.
Is this an original or an edition?
It is a limited screenprint edition, consistent with KAWS's accessible print practice. We do not list a specific edition size unless it can be verified.
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