WHAT PARTY feature KAWS’ signature Companion figure in a deflated, hunched posture, symbolizing themes of isolation and exhaustion. The 2020 prints were released in a set of seven color variations to accompany the artist’s 2021 Brooklyn Museum retrospective, KAWS: WHAT PARTY. The prints’ legacy is their exploration of contemporary identity and KAWS’s continuing ability to blend street art, pop culture, and high art.
Introduction
WHAT PARTY from 2020 is a set of seven limited-edition screen prints.
Each print portrays a head and shoulders image of KAWS’s iconic Companion figure, recognizable by its “X”-ed out eyes and Mickey Mouse-like body. The figure is shown in a slumped, introspective pose. The images are rendered in bold, flat colors, echoing a pop art style. The set includes various vibrant and monochromatic color schemes, with one example being the Companion in radiant neon yellow against an electric blue background.
The prints offer a poignant commentary on modern human experience, especially in the context of their 2020 release. The Companion figure’s deflated, hunched pose and somber expression evoke universal feelings of exhaustion, sadness, and solitude. By modifying and repurposing well-known pop culture imagery, KAWS critiques and comments on consumerism and modern identity. The playful, cartoon-like appearance of the Companion is juxtaposed with its vulnerable, melancholic posture.
This dualism reflects the tension between public image and internal struggle, a theme explored throughout KAWS’s work. This set embodies KAWS’s success in fusing street art, high art, and consumer products. His work challenges the traditional art world by making fine art accessible to a wider audience through formats like limited-edition prints and toys.
This set was released in conjunction with the major KAWS: WHAT PARTY museum retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, a milestone that celebrated his 25-year career. The exhibition demonstrated how KAWS’s “subvertisements” and character work had evolved from early graffiti to a respected fine art practice. This particular series showcased KAWS’s continuing ability to capture the contemporary mood. The themes of alienation and introspection resonated deeply with audiences in 2020, a year marked by the global health crisis and social instability. This reflects the transformative power of his vision on the art world.
WHAT PARTY, 2020
WHAT PARTY
The complete set of 7 screenprints in colors
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Saunders Waterford High White paper
Year: 2020
Sheet: 22×22 inches (55.9 x 55.9 cm)
Edition: 100
Artist’s Proofs: 20 AP
Printer’s Proofs: 5 PP
Publisher: Kawsone, New-York
Each signed, dated, and numbered in pencil
WHAT PARTY (BLUE)
WHAT PARTY (GREY)
WHAT PARTY (RED)
WHAT PARTY (ORANGE)
WHAT PARTY (PINK)
WHAT PARTY (RED)
WHAT PARTY (YELLOW)
2025 Auction Results
What Party (Yellow), 2020
LLB Auction: 29 June 2025
Estimated: EUR 5,000 – 10,000
EUR 5,000 (Hammer)
EUR 6,000 / USD 6,920
KAWS
What Party (Yellow) AP, 2020
Silkscreen on Saunders Waterford 435gm HP hi-white paper
Signed and numbered from the edition of 100 + 20 AP
What Party (Red), 2020
LLB Auction: 29 June 2025
Estimated: EUR 5,000 – 10,000
EUR 5,300 (Hammer)
EUR 6,060 / USD 6,930
KAWS
What Party (Red) AP, 2020
Silkscreen on Saunders Waterford 435gm HP hi-white paper
Signed and numbered from the edition of 100 + 20 AP
WHAT PARTY #2, 2020
Estimated: JPY 700,000 – 1,300,000
JPY 805,000 / USD 5,645
WHAT PARTY #2, 2020
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 100
What Party #2, 2020
SBI Art Auction: 25 January 2025
Estimated: JPY 700,000 – 1,300,000
JPY 920,000 / USD 5,895
KAWS
What Party #2, 2020
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 100
2024 Auction Results
WHAT PARTY, 2020
SBI Art Auction: 27 January 2024
Estimated: JPY 4,000,000 – 7,000,000
JPY 5,750,000 / USD 38,802
COMPLETE SET
KAWS
WHAT PARTY, 2020
Screenprint, the complete set of 7 works
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part (each)
An Artist’s Proof aside from the edition of 100
2023 Auction Results
What Party (Orange), 2020
Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
USD 8,125
KAWS
What Party (Orange), 2020
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed, numbered 41/100, and dated in pencil along lower edge
What Party (Pink), 2020
Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
USD 10,625
KAWS
What Party (Pink), 2020
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed, numbered 41/100, and dated in pencil along lower edge
What Party (Red), 2020
Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
USD 7,812
KAWS
What Party (Red), 2020
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed, numbered 41/100, and dated in pencil along lower edge
COMPLETE SETS
SBI Art Auction: 27 January 2024
Estimated: JPY 4,000,000 – 7,000,000
JPY 5,750,000 / USD 38,802
COMPLETE SET
KAWS
WHAT PARTY, 2020
Screenprint, the complete set of 7 works
Signed, dated and numbered on the lower part (each)
An Artist’s Proof aside from the edition of 100
Phillips London: 22 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 44,450 / USD 54,640
KAWS
WHAT PARTY, 2020
The complete set of seven screenprints in colors on Saunders Waterford paper
All signed, dated and numbered ‘PP 2/5’ in various colored pencils
All printer’s proofs, the edition was 100 and 20 artist’s proofs
Phillips New-York: 11 March 2022
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 94,500
KAWS
WHAT PARTY, 2020
The complete set of seven screen-prints in colors
All signed, dated and numbered ‘AP 10/20’ in various colored pencils
An artist’s proofs, the edition was 100
Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 29 November 2021
Estimated: HKD 500,000 – 700,000
HKD 945,000 / USD 121,195
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR WHAT PARTY
KAWS (b. 1974)
What Party (Set of Seven), 2020
Screen-print
Each signed, dated 20 and numbered 61/100
This work is number 61 from an edition of 100 plus 20 artist’s proofs.
Heritage Auctions: 22 April 2021
USD 81,250
KAWS
What Party, 2020
Seven screenprints in colors on Saunders Waterford hi-white paper
Each signed, numbered 66/100 and dated in pencil along lower edge