"500-Year Old Companion" vinyl figure by KAWS & Frank Kozik

I'm the owner of the DV Warehouse and Toy Art Gallery in L.A., I'm downsizing & selling works from my private collection, I have over 1,500 paintings & urban designer toy pieces within my collection and I'm getting new pieces listed as time permits. If you're in L.A. please stop by our corporate office in Hollywood to check out the collection in person or you can also see my portfolio on the artwork archive site, just search my name Gino Joukar on Google and it should be one of the top results. 
For now, greatly appreciate you taking a look at this new listing on of mine, I've been a huge fan of KAWS for a long time now, attached are a few photos from my collection and I hate to part with this piece since I consider it my most valuable piece within my KAWS collection, it took me 2+ years of waiting patiently for Frank Kozik to have it customized for me, by the way the only way I got Frank Kozik to customize this figure is because he's a personal friend of mine and he was kind enough to do it for me, I can't even begin to tell you how many fake or knock off copies I've seen out there but this is the one and only original one in existence with Frank Kozik's signature on the piece, so that's why I consider this one of the more rare pieces within my collection, for now though here's more details about its two incredible artists KAWS/Frank Kozik: 

Brian Donnelly, the ex-Disney illustrator better known as KAWS, created his first vinyl toy in 1999: an eight-inch “Companion” whose round belly, noodly limbs, and white gloves immediately reminded viewers of the cartoons made famous by his former workplace. The limited edition toy, produced in collaboration with the Japanese brand Bounty Hunter, reflected KAWS’s desire to make his work more accessible to the public. In the years since, KAWS has rendered most of his signature characters in three dimensions, including Chum, Bendy, and Blitz, as well as his renditions of iconic cartoons like Tweety, Snoopy, and Pinocchio. When first released, these sculptures often sell out in just seconds. When the Museum of Modern Art promoted KAWS’s toys in its design store, collector demand was so high that the museum’s website crashed multiple times.

In what some may consider one of the most highly sought after toys in recent memory comes an in-depth look at this special collaboration between KAWS and Star Wars. Much detail and thought was implemented in the creation of this toy as evidenced by the costume and the control panel on the chest.

KAWS is a Brooklyn-based artist whose influential body of work masterfully synthesizes the worlds of art and design. Across painting, murals, large-scale sculpture, and street art, as well as graphic and production design, his work possesses a sophisticated humor and thoughtful interplay with consumer products through collaborations with global brands. KAWS is often inspired by and appropriates pop culture animations to form a unique artistic vocabulary that spans a broad range of mediums. Now admired for his larger-than-life sculptures and hard-edge paintings that emphasize line and color, KAWS has created a cast of hybrid cartoon and human characters that are perhaps the strongest examples of his exploration of humanity. KAWS has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions of his work have been held at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; the Yuz Museum; Yorkshire Sculpture Park; and the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga. He has also participated in exhibitions at major institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; the Newcomb Art Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the Deste Art Foundation for Contemporary Art.

Frank Kozik was born in Madrid, Spain in 1962 . At the age of 14 he moved to the United States and settled in Austin, Texas. Credited with single handedly reviving the “lost” art of the concert poster, his creative career rose largely out of his enthusiasm for Austin’s growing underground punk rock scene in the mid-eighties. Starting with black and white flyers for friends’ bands posted on telephone poles, his reputation grew as an artist whose work was graphically compelling as well as culturally gripping.

Kozik is based in San Francisco, California, where he produces artwork, toys and graphic design. He formerly managed his own record label, Man’s Ruin Records (1995-2001). Under which, he released over 220 singles and full length albums including the first Queens of the Stone Age single.

He has produced artwork for a diverse range of musicians such as Pearl Jam, the Butthole Surfers, Green Day, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, the Melvins and many more. In 1996, he directed Soundgarden’s “Pretty Noose” music video.