Gauntlet Gallery — Complete KAWS Index
Passing Through — Black
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Passing Through is a roughly 12-inch vinyl figure released in 2013 through OriginalFake, the brand KAWS ran with Medicom Toy until it closed that same year. It depicts Companion seated on the ground, elbows on knees, both hands covering its face — the dejected gesture KAWS first presented as a monumental sculpture that debuted at Harbour City, Hong Kong in 2010 and later traveled to museum shows. The black colorway renders the entire figure in matte black with subtle tonal detailing. This 2013 OriginalFake release predates, and should not be confused with, the smaller 8-inch open edition version KAWS reissued through KAWSONE in 2018; the earlier figure is larger and scarcer.
Collector notes: Legacy catalog label: Limited; 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
Passing Through is one of the defining images of KAWS's career — the pose that moved Companion from toy shelves into museum courtyards and established the character as a vehicle for genuine pathos. The 2013 vinyl is also a late OriginalFake artifact: the brand shut down in mid-2013, closing the era that produced KAWS's most sought-after early figures. Owning the 12-inch version means owning the pose at its first collectible scale, from the company that built KAWS's toy legacy.
Collector Perspective
Our WorthPoint data records 30 sales for the black Passing Through, with a median of $253.75 and a latest sale in February 2026. The range is unusually wide — $14.99 to $1,200 — largely because listings routinely conflate the 12-inch 2013 OriginalFake figure with the 8-inch 2018 KAWSONE reissue. Verified 2013 examples with the OriginalFake box command the top of the range; ambiguous or loose figures settle far lower. Measuring the figure and checking the box branding is the single most valuable step before buying.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned sculpture / object
- Release date
- 2013
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Vinyl Figure.
- Edition details
- Legacy catalog label: Limited; 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 2013.
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 the Passing Through figure depict?
It depicts Companion seated with its face buried in its hands — a gesture of grief or exhaustion. KAWS introduced the pose as a monumental sculpture at Harbour City, Hong Kong in 2010, and the vinyl figure brings that composition down to shelf scale.
What is the edition size of Passing Through (2013)?
The 2013 OriginalFake release was a limited production run, but KAWS and Medicom never published a quantity and the figures are not individually numbered. Scarcity comes from the short window before OriginalFake closed in 2013, not from a stated edition count.
Is Passing Through signed by KAWS?
No. Production vinyl figures from OriginalFake are not individually signed. Authenticity rests on the molded KAWS and OriginalFake markings and the original packaging. Signed examples exist only where KAWS signed a piece separately, which requires its own documentation.
How do I authenticate a Passing Through figure?
First confirm which version you are looking at: the 2013 OriginalFake figure is about 12 inches tall, while the 2018 KAWSONE open edition is 8 inches. Then check the copyright stampings, seam quality, and box branding. Fakes and mislabeled reissues are both common, so buy from a dealer who identifies the version explicitly and guarantees it.
What is the difference between the 2013 and 2018 Passing Through releases?
The 2013 version came from OriginalFake at roughly 12 inches; the 2018 version is a smaller 8-inch open edition sold through KAWSONE at $200. The 2013 figure is the scarcer and generally more valuable of the two, which is exactly why sellers sometimes blur the distinction.
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