Julie Curtiss Paints in Florida. KAWS Exhibit in Canada

In 2019, Julie Curtiss (b.1982) was watching live-stream, from her studio in Brooklyn, as her paintings were sold at auction for the first time. The six-figure prices that they garnered were a surprise to her. “I don’t want to be a flash in the pan.” she said. “I want to have a sustainable career. I don’t want this to be this big inflation—and then a collapse.”

It turned out to be much more than a flash in the pan. Curtiss’ works are very much in demand, she has gallery representation in New York and London and her works are included in shows in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Curtiss, of French and Vietnamese descent, grew up and studied art in Paris, then Dresden, Chicago and Japan. She and her husband, artist Clinton King, moved to New York. Curtiss worked for Jeff Koons and then KAWS (Brian Donnelly b.1974) who helped her career by posting her work on his Instagram site. 

The couple moved from New York to Florida, where the flora and fauna inspired her to use them as themes in recent works. 

The works of Julie Curtiss are currently being shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Descending the Staircase is a group show that looks at the way in which contemporary artists approach representation of the human body. Descending the Staircase will be on exhibit through August 25, 2024.

The distinctive figures that KAWS paints and sculpts have become a worldwide phenomenon, so it’s a bit surprising that he has never had a solo show in a Canadian museum…until now.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is showing Family, an exhibit of KAWS’ murals, sketches, paintings, altered phone booth ads and product collaborations. 

KAWS received his BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1996. He’s been living and working in Brooklyn, creating work that bridges the gap between fine and commercial art. The emotions that his figures convey have a universal appeal.

 Family will be on view through March 31, 2024