KAWS and effect

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth adds 'monumental' KAWS sculpture to its collection

KAWS, Clean Slate, 2018

Photo courtesy of The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth has made what it's calling a "monumental" acquisition: a new bronze sculpture by the artist KAWS. Titled Clean Slate, 2018, the piece will be on view to the public beginning December 9.

The museum describes the work by saying in a release, "In Clean Slate, 2018, the central figure strides forward, embracing smaller, childlike figures in each arm, a gesture recognizable to anyone who has found themselves in the company of two tired toddlers. Featuring KAWS's iconic Companion characters, loosely based on Mickey Mouse, with Xs for eyes and skull-and-crossbone heads, the bronze sculpture stands 21 feet tall and overlooks the museum pond."

The acquisition continues The Modern's relationship with KAWS that began in 2011 with a small-scale solo exhibition, part of a FOCUS series, the museum says. As a result of that show, in 2012 the Director's Council voted to acquire the painting Where the End Starts, 2011, which deconstructs KAWSBOB, a KAWS character based on SpongeBob SquarePants.

Also in 2012, KAWS's Companion (Passing Through), 2010, was installed at the main entrance. Visitors loved it and took many photos with the seemingly shy, seated character during its short stay at the Modern, the museum says.

Four years later, the Modern presented a mid-career retrospective of KAWS's work that attracted thousands of visitors from near and far. "KAWS: Where the End Starts" opened in Fort Worth in 2016 and traveled to Shanghai's Yuz Museum in 2017. "New variations on Companion took up residence throughout the museum, including a fiberglass version from 2016 of Clean Slate that occupied the building's entrance plaza; as with Companion (Passing Through) before, visitors responded to this piece with empathy and enthusiasm," the museum says in the release.

"Situated on the North Terrace of the Modern, the scale and rich patina of the new bronze version of Clean Slate, 2018, enter a dialogue with the surrounding concrete architecture and the moods of the pond," the museum says. "It creates a destination for study, selfies, or simple reflection on the experience of being human."

KAWS is a beloved modern artist who began with graffiti writing in the 1990s before moving to making paintings, sculpture, and drawings informed by art history and inspired by cartoons.

"He has created a cast of recurring figures that candidly communicate fundamental aspects of human nature, executed with a clean, graphic, energetic style reminiscent of Pop art," the museum says. "KAWS has a global audience of all ages that continues to grow as his recognizable imagery has made its way into the commercial world, in the form of toys and apparel, among other examples. With his massive international presence, KAWS is now one of the most influential artists of his generation."

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Ancient Sculpture News

Fort Worth museum one of only 3 in U.S. to get rare sculpture exhibit

Lorenzo di Masi/Torlonia Collection

The Torlonia Nile

A major exhibition of ancient Roman masterworks is coming to the U.S. for the first time to be viewed at only three museums — including the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth.

Called Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection, it's an assemblage of works stewarded by the Torlonia Family beginning in the early-19th century, and will be installed at the Kimbell from September 14, 2025 – January 25, 2026.

As part of the Foundation’s mission to showcase these historical works to the public, the exhibition will premiere at the Art Institute of Chicago on March 15 through June 29, before traveling to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth. Its third stop will be at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, from March 14 - July 19, 2026.

The Torlonia Collection was established during the course of the 19th century by the Franco-Italian banker Prince Giovanni Torlonia and his son Alessandro, then handed down over generations, eventually growing into the largest private collection of ancient Roman sculptures.

Today, the Torlonia Foundation represents the culmination of the Family’s continued passion for art. Created at the behest of Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1925–2017), the Foundation’s mission is to preserve and promote the Torlonia Collection and Villa Albani Torlonia.

In 1876, Prince Alessandro Torlonia (1800-1886) created a museum to house and exhibit the Family’s holdings, which was open to small groups until its closure at the onset of World War II. The sculptures remained unseen by the public from that time until the Foundation’s first exhibition at the Musei Capitolini in Rome in 2020. That was followed by a stint at the Louvre, the first presentation of the collection outside of Rome, where it has drawn more than 600,000 visitors to date, an unprecedented feat.

The exhibit
The curators of Myth & Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection are Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exhibition is co-organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and The Museum Box. All of the sculptures in the exhibition have been restored by the Foundation with the support of Bvlgari.

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue co-published by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Torlonia Foundation, edited by Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, with essays by Silvia Beltrametti and Salvatore Settis.

The North American presentation will feature 58 highlights from the Torlonia Collection, including 24 newly restored works that have not been on view in nearly a century. The sculptures date from approximately the 5th century BCE to the early 4th century CE, with the majority of the works dating to the High Imperial period (1st–2nd centuries CE). Highlights include examples of the most emblematic genres of ancient marble sculpture, acquired by the Torlonia Family from the most prominent collections of Rome’s patrician families, as well as from excavations made on the Family’s own estates throughout Italy.

“The Foundation is excited to be sharing the Torlonia Collection with audiences in North America for the first time. This exceptional group of ancient sculptures is a testament to the enduring cultural legacy of ancient Rome, as well as the vision and passion of multiple generations of the Torlonia Family,” said Alessandro Poma Murialdo, President of the Torlonia Foundation.

The presentation is organized thematically in six sections, featuring sculptures found on the Torlonia Family’s properties in Rome and the surrounding suburbs and their estate in Porto, Portugal, as well as a number of exceptional sarcophagi (stone coffins), among the largest sculpted works in marble to survive from ancient Rome.

The tour reinforces the work of the Foundation to advance the appreciation and understanding of this unparalleled collection and the rich cultural heritage it represents. The Foundation’s mission is carried out through a continuous joint effort between the public and private sectors, including with the cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Culture. The Foundation is supported by a longstanding collaboration with Bvlgari as the principal sponsor of the restoration project since its inception in Rome and throughout the global tour, and Chiomenti, who has lent invaluable support to the Foundation’s core activities.

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