Family
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Stonehenge grey paper
Year: 2023
Sheet: 29×26 inches (73.7 x 66 cm)
Edition: 500
Artist’s Proofs: 100 AP
Publisher: Brand X Editions and KAWSONE, New-York
Each signed, dated, and numbered in pencil
Family is a limited edition silkscreen print featuring four of the artist’s iconic characters arranged as a family unit. The work explores universal themes of family dynamics through KAWS’s signature visual language, blending pop art with street art aesthetics.
Family was released on 19 May 2023, on KAWS’s website (kawsone.com). It was one of three limited edition prints released that day, alongside Time Off and Shelter. The artwork features four of KAWS’s key characters—likely some combination of COMPANION, BFF, and CHUM—in varying sizes, arranged to symbolize a family.
The print captures the essence of family through KAWS’s distinctive visual language, portraying complex yet familiar relationships. The varying sizes of the characters mirror the different roles and relationships within a family unit.
Family exemplifies KAWS’s signature style, which merges the raw aesthetic of street and graffiti art with the accessibility of pop art. The hand-pulled silkscreen technique, often associated with mass-produced pop art, further blurs the lines between fine art and street art. While the characters are stylized and abstract, their juxtaposition and gestures convey a sense of belonging and togetherness, reflecting the universal theme of familial connection.
Family was originally released for the touring museum exhibition KAWS: FAMILY which has been displayed at several major museums. The 2021 bronze sculpture of the same name served as the centerpiece and thematic starting point for the show, which the 2023 print further explored. The exhibition demonstrates how the artist’s work can be appreciated in both fine art and popular culture settings.
Art Gallery of Ontario organized the exhibition and hosted its run from 27 September 2023, to 9 August 2024. This was KAWS’s debut solo institutional show in Canada.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art hosted the exhibition from March 15 to July 28, 2025, which was KAWS’s solo debut in Arkansas. The presentation expanded on the original AGO version.
The exhibition is scheduled to be on view at The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) from November 15, 2025, through May 3, 2026. This will be the artist’s first major museum exhibition on the West Coast.
In addition to the print, the KAWS Family vinyl figure set was released in multiple colorways, preceding and building on the same thematic idea. The figures were released in 2021 and 2022, allowing fans to own a three-dimensional representation of the family concept, featuring the characters Companion, BFF, and Chum.
Original release (2021)
The initial release occurred in July 2021 as a Japan-exclusive via a lottery system, followed by a broader release on KAWS’s website (kawsone.com) in September 2021. This release came in two colorways: an all-black colorway featuring two Companion figures, a BFF, and a Chum; and a mixed-colorway set, with brown Companion figures, a blue BFF, and white Chum characters.
SBI Art Auction Tokyo: 13 September 2024
Estimated: JPY 180,000 – 280,000
JPY 322,000 / USD 2,275
KAWS
KAWS FAMILY OPEN EDITION (Pink, Multicolor, Black), 2021
Vinyl, multiple with original case, 3 sets
Various size:
18.4 × 8.4 × 8.5 cm (7 1/4 × 3 1/4 x 3 3/8 inches)
34 × 14.7 × 10.9 cm (13 3/8 × 5 3/4× 4 1/4 inches)
(each)
Valentine’s Day release (2022)
A special grey and pink colorway was released on 14 February 2022, offering a new aesthetic interpretation of the family unit. This set included two grey Companions, a pink BFF, and a pink Chum.
The vinyl figures are “open edition,” meaning they are not individually numbered like the prints. However, Artsy notes that once an open edition sells out, KAWS typically does not re-release that specific version, ensuring a finite supply and collectible value. Obviously it all depends on how finite the production in light of global demand. Others mention an unnumbered edition of 300.
While the specific character combinations vary slightly by colorway, the sets generally include a grouping of the artist’s most popular figures: Companion, BFF, and Chum. Like the print and the museum-displayed bronze sculpture, the vinyl figures explore themes of family and relationships. The groupings show different sizes and poses, reflecting the complexity and intimacy of family bonds through KAWS’s signature visual style.
Auction Results
Heritage Auctions: 30 October 2025
No Estimates Provided
USD 4,000
KAWS (b. 1974)
Family, 2023
Screenprint in colors on Somerset paper
Ed. 497/500
Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil along lower edge
SBI Art Auction: 26 October 2025
Estimated: JPY 300,000 – 500,000
JPY 552,000 / USD 3,610
KAWS
FAMILY, 2023
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 500
SBI Art Auction: 23 May 2025
Estimated: JPY 300,000 – 500,000
JPY 690,000 / USD 4,840
KAWS
FAMILY, 2023
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 500
SBI Art Auction: 25 October 2024
Estimated: JPY 300,000 – 500,000
JPY 977,500 / USD 6,418
KAWS
FAMILY, 2023
Screenprint
Signed, dated and numbered
From the edition of 500