Takashi Murakami
One of the most acclaimed artists to emerge from postwar Asia, Takashi Murakami (b. 1962, Japan)—“the Warhol of Japan”—is known for his contemporary Pop synthesis of fine art and popular culture, particularly his use of a boldly graphic and colorful anime and manga cartoon style. Murakami became famous in the 1990s for his “Superflat” theory and for organizing the paradigmatic exhibition of that title, which linked the origins of contemporary Japanese visual culture to historical Japanese art. His output includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, animations, and collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton. “Japanese people accept that art and commerce will be blended; and in fact, they are surprised by the rigid and pretentious Western hierarchy of “high art’,” Murakami says. “In the West, it certainly is dangerous to blend the two because people will throw all sorts of stones. But that’s okay—I’m ready with my hard hat.”
Collections
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, US
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Center for CUratorial Studies Museum, Bard College, New York, NY, US
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Pinchuk Art Centre, Kiev, Ukraine
Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Australia
Queensland Art Gallery / Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels, Belgium
Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France
Musée du sourire, Paris, France
Rosenblum Collection & Friends, Paris, France
Punta della Dogana - Francois Pinault Foundation, Venice, Italy
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art - Kanazawa, Kanazawa, Japan
Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Toyota Aichi, Japan MFA - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Boston, MA, USA