Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index
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
- 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.
Market Context
- Estimated value. The median of recorded public sale prices for this piece, matched by title and colorway. We use the median (not the average) because it resists outliers.
- Min / max sale. The lowest and highest individual recorded sale prices; the range shows dispersion, not a guaranteed band.
- Recorded comps. The number of independent comparable sales; reliability rises with sample size (1–2 sales are indicative only).
- Liquidity & sales volume. Our liquidity rating reflects sales velocity — the number of recorded comparable sales and how recent the latest sale is. More frequent and more recent sales rate as more liquid (Highly Liquid → Liquid → Moderate → Thin → Very Thin); a piece with no recorded public sales is Extremely Rare.
- Estimate confidence. A traffic-light read on how well the data supports the estimate: green high, yellow medium, red low / indicative.
- Data source & currency. Compiled from recorded public marketplace and auction sales of US$200 or more, in US dollars, as of the latest recorded sale shown. Coverage is not exhaustive.
- Not financial or investment advice. For collector reference only — not an appraisal, offer, or guarantee of resale value. Art is volatile and illiquid; do your own research. Use is subject to our Terms & Conditions.
FAQ
What does Clean Slate depict?
A large Companion figure carrying two smaller Companion children, a tender image of parenthood and protection.
Was it originally a sculpture?
Yes, KAWS first realized Clean Slate as a monumental sculpture before it appeared in collectible and print formats.
What themes does it explore?
Family, caregiving, and generational renewal, extending KAWS's companionship themes into an explicitly familial subject.
What should buyers confirm?
The specific format and colorway plus original packaging; the composition exists at multiple scales with differing values.
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