KAWS at the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence: Pop Culture Enters the Renaissance
- Delphine & Romain Class
- Nov 13
- 5 min read
The Palazzo Strozzi, a jewel of the Florentine Renaissance, is currently hosting one of the most influential contemporary artists in the world: KAWS, also known as Brian Donnelly. The American pop artist has taken over the palace courtyard with a monumental six-meter-tall wooden sculpture titled The Message.
When Pop Culture Enters the Palazzo Strozzi
Under the golden light of Florence, the KAWS sculpture, a reinterpretation of The Annunciation, stands in the palace courtyard, featuring two of the artist’s iconic giant characters: Companion, with crossed-out eyes and arms hanging, and BFF, oscillating between tenderness and melancholy. They embody the essence of KAWS’s work — a blend of humor, nostalgia, and emotional depth.
Fra Angelico’s Annunciation, painted around 1440 for the San Marco convent in Florence, is one of the most emblematic works of the Italian Renaissance. Bathed in soft, golden light, the angel Gabriel bows before the Virgin Mary, who receives the divine message with silent humility. The scene unfolds beneath an arcade inspired by Tuscan architecture, where geometric perspective and clear lines convey the harmony between faith and reason, spiritual and human. Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar, masterfully combines the rigor of Renaissance painting with profound mystical devotion: every detail — the celestial light, the enclosed garden, the angel’s delicate gesture — symbolizes the purity and grace of the divine moment. This meditative and luminous work invites not merely admiration but silent contemplation.
"I like to create characters that resonate emotionally with people, whether they are 8 or 80 years old," KAWS confides. "My works are not just meant to be looked at, but to be felt."
In this historic setting, the soft lines of the KAWS sculpture contrast with the architectural rigor of the Palazzo Strozzi. This contrast creates a striking visual dialogue: the Renaissance and pop culture, united around a shared humanity.
In this reinterpretation of Fra Angelico’s Annunciation (1433), a masterpiece of the late Gothic, we find KAWS’s two iconic characters, smartphones in hand, replacing the original angelic encounter with a meditation on the digital divine. BFF stands with a hand over the heart, while COMPANION crouches lower, absorbed by the imagined glow of the screen. The composition evokes the sacred dialogue between Mary and the archangel Gabriel, infused here with the intensity of contemporary isolation.
Presented alongside an ongoing Fra Angelico exhibition at the palace, THE MESSAGE highlights that strange yet ubiquitous act of staring at a screen. By exploring how technology reshapes the way we connect with one another, the installation exudes a solemn, almost liturgical presence — a modern-day Annunciation rewritten for our age of hypercommunication.
An Artist Between Street, Gallery, and Global Culture
Born in 1974 in New Jersey, Brian Donnelly studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York before making a name for himself under the pseudonym KAWS in the graffiti scene. In the 1990s, he began altering subway advertising posters in New York, replacing the figures’ eyes with his signature crosses. These urban interventions marked the beginning of his career: a bittersweet critique of consumer society and the standardization of emotions.
Over the years, KAWS expanded his practice to sculpture, painting, and object design, creating a universal visual language that blurs the boundaries between KAWS galleries, museums, and popular culture. His KAWS figurines, first produced in 1999 in collaboration with the Japanese company Medicom Toy, quickly became coveted collector’s items worldwide. They allow enthusiasts to engage with the artist’s universe at a more accessible price point.
"KAWS figurines have changed the way the public perceives art," explains American curator Michael Darling, former director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. "They have democratized contemporary sculpture, making it accessible without stripping it of its meaning."
Among the most famous are: KAWS Chum 20 Years, KAWS Holiday Japan, KAWS Holiday Singapore, KAWS Holiday Changbai Mountain, KAWS Holiday Thailand, KAWS BFF MoMA Edition, KAWS Share, KAWS BFF Take, KAWS Gone, KAWS Holiday Space, KAWS Clean Slate, KAWS Together, and KAWS Family.
KAWS Gallery: From Street Art to Museum Recognition
Today, KAWS galleries are multiplying, and his works are featured in some of the world’s most prestigious museums: the Brooklyn Museum, the Yuz Museum in Shanghai, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the UK.
With his ability to combine the aesthetics of toys with the monumentality of KAWS sculptures, the artist has established a universal artistic language. At the Palazzo Strozzi, the silent poetry of his characters contrasts strikingly with the grandeur of marble and ancient frescoes.
"It’s a visual and emotional shock," notes Italian art critic Giulia Marini. "In a place where heroic figures once triumphed, KAWS introduces fragility, gentleness, and childhood."
Between Emotion and Universality
Visitors from all over Europe come to see these giant figures, simple in form but rich in emotion. "What I love about KAWS is that he speaks to us without words," says Marco, a design student from Milan. "We recognize ourselves in his characters, in their gestures and silences."
KAWS sculptures and KAWS figurines embody universal themes: loss, compassion, solitude, but also companionship. The Florence exhibition particularly highlights this idea of companionship — the human connection in an increasingly virtual world.
An International Critical Reception
For several years, KAWS’s work has sparked lively debate among enthusiasts, collectors, and critics. Some see him as a genius of visual communication, capable of transforming mass culture into high art; others accuse him of over-commercializing his universe.
For Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of the Serpentine Gallery in London, "KAWS has found a rare balance between accessibility and emotion. His KAWS sculptures speak to a global audience while retaining poetic depth."
Meanwhile, Glenn Lowry, director of the MoMA in New York, regards him as "one of the most representative artists of our time, able to translate contemporary anxieties through a simple and direct visual language."
Even collectors agree on KAWS’s cultural impact. The gallerist Perrotin, who has represented him for several years, describes the artist as "a 21st-century visual storyteller, an heir to Warhol, but more empathetic, more human."
This institutional recognition only reinforces the global phenomenon surrounding KAWS galleries, a symbol of art that transcends museum walls to enter homes, screens, and streets.
Between Art, Fashion, and Society
Collaborating with Dior, Uniqlo, Nike, and Supreme, KAWS has become an icon of global visual culture. He brings together art collectors, streetwear enthusiasts, and design fans in a single universe where the line between art and consumption becomes porous.
"What I love is blurring the lines," KAWS explains. "Art doesn’t need to be elitist to be profound. A five-meter sculpture or a fifteen-centimeter figurine can express the same emotion."
A Dialogue Between Past and Future
The Palazzo Strozzi exhibition symbolizes a dialogue between eras: a 21st-century artist facing the legacy of the Quattrocento. In this majestic setting, KAWS sculptures become timeless figures of human emotion — silent companions in a changing world.
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