Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index
Holiday: Ceramic Plate Set
Work Summary & Collector Notes
The Holiday Ceramic Plate Set translates KAWS's Holiday Companion imagery onto functional ceramic tableware, presenting the resting Companion and its crossed X-eyes iconography as a set of decorative plates. Part of the broader KAWS:HOLIDAY ecosystem of collectibles, the set brings the touring installation's signature character into the home as everyday objects that double as display pieces. Rendered with KAWS's flat, graphic cartoon vocabulary on ceramic, the plates exemplify the artist's habit of placing his characters on functional goods, blurring the line between fine art, design object, and usable household ware while extending the Holiday brand beyond figures and plush.
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
KAWS's Holiday project produced not only monumental sculptures and figures but a full lifestyle ecosystem of accompanying objects, and the ceramic plate set is a prime example of that strategy. By placing the Holiday Companion on functional tableware, KAWS extends his democratizing impulse, putting fine-art-adjacent imagery into the routines of daily life. Ceramic sets like this appeal to collectors who want decorative, displayable KAWS objects beyond the standard figures, and they reinforce the artist's lineage of producing functional goods that carry his characters into homes. The set matters as evidence of how thoroughly KAWS commercialized and diffused the Holiday icon across formats, from harbor-floating sculpture to dinner plate. It embodies the post-Warhol logic of art as ubiquitous consumer object, and it gives collectors an accessible, distinctive way to participate in the Holiday phenomenon.
Collector Perspective
The ceramic plate set appeals to design-oriented and lifestyle KAWS collectors who value functional objects and decorative display over standard vinyl figures. Typically kept boxed and unused, the set is collected for its aesthetics and its place in the Holiday ecosystem rather than for utility. It complements Holiday figures, plush, and prints, adding variety of medium to a collection. Because functional KAWS objects are produced in varying runs and formats, buyers should confirm the set is complete with all plates and original packaging, which strongly affects desirability and value.
Historical Context
The plate set sits in KAWS's monumental-and-Holiday era as part of the merchandise and lifestyle expansion surrounding his touring installations. It continues a long thread in his practice of placing characters on functional goods, echoing earlier ceramic, apparel, and homeware collaborations. As a peripheral but characteristic Holiday object, it illustrates how KAWS built a comprehensive collectible universe around a single icon, ranging from museum-scale sculpture to domestic tableware, during the most commercially expansive phase of his career.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2019
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Plush and Object
- 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: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: The plate set sits in KAWS's monumental-and-Holiday era as part of the merchandise and lifestyle expansion surrounding his touring installations. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2019. It is grouped under Plush and Object 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.
- Product-level estimate. This colorway has few or no recorded sales of its own, so the figure is pooled from sales across all colorways of the same product (median, with the 25th–75th percentile as the range). Indicative; specific colorways can trade above or below.
- 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 is the Holiday Ceramic Plate Set?
A set of decorative ceramic plates featuring KAWS's Holiday Companion imagery, part of the KAWS:HOLIDAY collectible ecosystem.
Are the plates meant to be used?
They are functional ceramics but are typically collected and displayed rather than used, kept boxed to preserve value.
How does it fit a KAWS collection?
It adds a functional-object dimension alongside Holiday figures, plush, and prints, reflecting KAWS's lifestyle-object strategy.
What should buyers check?
Confirm the set is complete with all plates and original packaging; we avoid stating exact edition figures here.
Related KAWS Works
