The Message by Kaws at Palazzo Strozzi

The American artist presents a monumental site-specific installation in dialogue with the exhibition dedicated to Beato Angelico

Until January 25, 2026, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi and Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati present The Message, a new site-specific installation for the Palazzo Strozzi courtyard by Kaws, the globally renowned American contemporary artist known for his unmistakable style that challenges traditional categories and hierarchies within the art world.

Kaws (USA, 1974) has captured the international scene with works that bridge the worlds of art, pop culture, and commerce, often drawing inspiration from animation and contemporary visual communication. From his early days as a graffiti artist to the creation of his iconic characters marked by X-shaped eyes, he has developed a highly distinctive language characterized by a playful, irreverent, and subversive approach that questions the boundaries between “high” and “low” art. Through the use of shared symbols and hybrid figures, Kaws explores themes and emotions that resonate with a wide audience, both inside and outside the art world, establishing himself as one of the most influential voices in contemporary culture.

KAWS: THE MESSAGE, Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, 2025 (Photo Ela Bialkowska, OKNO studio © KAWS)

Curated by Arturo Galansino, Director General of Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, THE MESSAGE creates a visual and symbolic dialogue with the Renaissance architecture of the palace and the ongoing exhibition dedicated to Beato Angelico (open until January 25, 2026), reinterpreting the theme of the Annunciation, one of the painter-monk’s most celebrated subjects. Through this monumental installation, KAWS offers a novel confrontation between eras, forms, and visions, evoking references to traditional iconography while simultaneously reflecting the everyday life of our present.

KAWS’s characters embody universal human emotions such as melancholy, vulnerability, and solidarity. In this work, the artist reimagines a famous scene from Western visual culture, explicitly referencing the hyperconnectivity that defines contemporary life. In THE MESSAGE, the mobile phone becomes a central element of the scene: an everyday tool that, in the modern world, has taken on an almost sacred significance.

The public and accessible dimension of the work, typical of KAWS’s practice, is an integral part of the project: free access in the courtyard enhances engagement with visitors and aligns with the mission of the Palazzo Strozzi Future Art program, which promotes interventions by contemporary artists capable of generating new perspectives between past and future.

KAWS portrait (photo credit: Shaniqwa Jarvis)

Who is Kaws, the artist exhibiting in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi?

Kaws (born 1974, Jersey City, NJ, USA; lives and works in Brooklyn, New York) has exhibited his work in some of the world's most important cultural institutions, including SFMoMA, San Francisco (2025); Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville (2025); The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2024); Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (2023); Serpentine Gallery, London (2022); Mori Arts Center Gallery, Tokyo (2021); The Brooklyn Museum, New York (2021); The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2019).