Clean Slate (Grey)

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Clean Slate (Grey) depicts a large Companion figure cradling two smaller Companion children, a tender image of parenthood and protection rendered in a grey colorway. The composition shows the adult figure carrying its offspring, with the signature crossed X eyes and downcast cartoon features that give the work its characteristic warmth and melancholy. Originally realized by KAWS as a monumental sculpture, Clean Slate brings family and caregiving to the foreground of his iconography. The grey collectible version distills that emotional, multi-figure sculpture into domestic scale, preserving the work's intimate narrative of generational care.

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

Clean Slate is among KAWS's most explicitly familial compositions, presenting the Companion as a parent carrying children and extending his recurring themes of companionship and care into the realm of family and lineage. Conceived as a monumental sculpture, it became a signature piece in KAWS's large-scale exhibition practice and one of the most emotionally direct works in his catalog. Collectible grey editions let collectors own a version of an otherwise public-scale sculpture, and the family motif gives the piece broad emotional resonance. It matters because it deepens the narrative ambition of KAWS's characters, moving from solitary icons and pairs toward a multi-generational family group. The work reflects the maturation of KAWS's themes, where his cartoon vocabulary is used to address tenderness, protection, and renewal, reinforcing why his characters connect so powerfully with a global audience across art, toy, and design communities.

Collector Perspective

Clean Slate (Grey) appeals to collectors who favor KAWS's emotional, family-themed compositions and multi-figure works over single characters. The grey colorway is restrained and gallery-friendly, making the piece a strong sculptural display centerpiece even at collectible scale. Within a KAWS collection it pairs naturally with Along The Way and Companion works, reinforcing the companionship-and-family narrative thread. Buyers should confirm the specific format and colorway and keep original packaging, as the composition exists at monumental and collectible scales with differing values and desirability.

Historical Context

Clean Slate sits in KAWS's monumental and mature fine-art period, when he expanded his Companion vocabulary into large sculptures and emotionally complex multi-figure groupings. It follows directly from the solitary Companion and paired compositions, advancing toward an explicitly familial subject of a parent carrying children. The work belongs to the same exhibition-defining body of monumental sculptures that established KAWS's international standing, marking the phase in which his graffiti-and-toy origins matured into ambitious, narrative-driven fine art rendered at architectural scale.

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned print or object

Release date

2018

Release-date note

Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.

Series

Companion 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 2018. It is grouped under Companion 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

1. KAWSONE — official site — KAWS studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
2. KAWS — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
3. KAWS (Q3194367) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.

FAQ

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Clean Slate Print

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KAWS Passing Through Open Edition Vinyl Figure BrownAlso in the Companion and Fine Art Era

KAWS Passing Through Open Edition Vinyl Figure GreyAlso in the Companion and Fine Art Era

KAWS Sesame Street Uniqlo Bert Plush Toy YellowAlso in the Companion and Fine Art Era