The Collector | It’s probably not Justin Bieber. So who is the mystery buyer of US$15 million Kaws painting?

The real reason for the rise and rise of former graffiti artist Brian Donnelly are his small group of devoted fans. Rumours that the Canadian pop star had bought the record-breaking artwork, The Kaws Album, may be false

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Singer Pharrell Williams (left) and collector Kevin Poon (right) with Brian Donnelly, also known as artist Kaws. Photo: Kevin Poon

Enid Tsui

Published: 11:00pm, 2 May 2019Updated: 12:26pm, 3 May 2019

Early collectors of Kaws’ works, once derided for having juvenile tastes, are now laughing all the way to the bank. However, even his most ardent fans could not have anticipated that The Kaws Album (2005) would sell for HK$116 million (US$15 million), including commissions.

Could Hong Kong collectors have helped lay the groundwork for the piece by the 45-year-old American artist, whose real name is Brian Donnelly, to achieve that price?

The pre-sale estimate for the painting, which went under the hammer at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong on April 1, was HK$6 million to HK$8 million (US$760,000 to US$1 million). Until recently, even that would have been considered as being as inflated as the 37-metre floating version of Kaws’ signature character, Companion, that appeared in Victoria Harbour during Art Basel week in March.

But since last year, prices for his works have shot up, with a series of US$1 million-plus sales, and they have kept on climbing. In November, his 2004 painting, Untitled (Fatal Group), was sold in New York for a then record for the artist of US$2.7 million.

So what’s behind Kaws’ rise?

The Kaws Album (2005), which recently sold for HK$116 million (US$15 million) at a Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong.

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