Takashi Murakami is a Japanese-born contemporary artist.
He uses the term ‘superflat’ to describe his art. This not only refers to his artistic style – two-dimensional manga and anime-influenced designs with flat colour planes – but also to his approach to the art market. He has tried to flatten the playing field and blur the distinction between high and low art.
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Facts About Takashi Murakami
- Takashi Murakami was born in Tokto in 1962.
- Growing up, he was a massive fan of anime and manga.
- He studied traditional Japanese painting at the Tokyo University of Arts, and he earned his master’s degree in 1988, and his Ph.D. in 1993.
- After leaving university, Takashi Murakami became drawn to contemporary art and he started to produce works of his own.
- His early work includes My Lonesome Cowboy (featuring a nude, spiky-haired anime character), and a performance art project called the Osaka Mixer Project.
- In the early-1990s, Takashi Murakami developed his own pop icon, Mr DOB. The ever-evolving, sharp-toothed character would become one of Murakami’s signature mascots.
I set out to investigate the secret of market survivability – the universality of characters such as Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doraemon, Miffy, Hello Kitty, and their knock-offs, produced in Hong Kong
Takashi Murakami
- In 1994, Takashi Murakami received a grant from the Asian Cultural Council to travel to New York and work there for a year.
- In New York, he was inspired by the work of artists Jeff Koons and Anselm Kiefer.
- Murakami’s Hiropon Factory was started in 1996. In 2001, the Hiropon factory became Kaikai Kiki Co Ltd.
- In 2002, Takashi Murakami began a collaboration with Louis Vitton, the fashion brand.
- He has provided artwork for Kanye West’s albums Graduation and Kids See Ghosts.
- He has also worked and collaborated with Pharrell Williams, McG, and Virgil Abloh (the fashion designer).
- Takashi Murakami directed the music video for Billie Eilish’s You Should See Me In A Crown song.
- In 2020, the label Supreme released a charity Box Log Tee featuring Murakami’s artwork and designs.
- In 2008, Takashi Murakami was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
- His artwork has been exhibited in cities all over the world, including Doha, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Bilbao, New York, Paris, Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, Santa Monica, Boston, Stuttgart, Rome, Chicago, Moscow, Vancouver, and Oslo.
- In 2013, he released a movie called Jellyfish Eyes, a live-action film with CGI characters.
- In 2008, his company Kaikai Kiki converted the basement of its Tokyo offices into an art gallery. Murakami curates all of the exhibitions that are held there, and he uses it as an opportunity to promote the work of other artists represented by Kaikai Kiki.
- Kaikai Kiki represents many artists including KAWS, Mark Grotjahn, Matthew Monahan, Virgil Abloh, Kazumi Nakamura, and Chiho Aoshima.
- In 2021, Takashi Murakami collaborated with RTFKT Studios (owned by Nike) on their NFT project called CloneX.
- Murakami’s My Lonesome Cowboy sold for more than $15,000,000 in 2008.
- He is often called the Warhol of Japan, after the artist Andy Warhol.
Frequently Asked Questions About Takashi Murakami
What is Takashi Murakami’s art style?
Murakami’s work straddles low and high art and blurs the lines between art and consumerism. His work combines elements of traditional and contemporary Japanese art culture, anime and manga, psychedelia, and satire.
I’ve been immersed in manga since I was a kid. I grew up with this culture. So I started to think about how to compare manga to contemporary art.
Takashi Murakami
His most well-used motifs include smiling flowers, cute and disturbing characters, mushrooms, and skulls.
He often uses flat, bright colours, and he has worked in a number of different media, including paintings, sculptures, prints, posters, clothing, merchandise, NFTs, and various animated works.
He describes his painting style as ‘superflat’ (see above) – he produces paintings that seem flat and two-dimensional.
What is Takashi Murakami most famous for?
He is probably best known for his most widely-recognized motif, the smiling flower. This symbol has appeared in hundreds of his works of art, and it has been emblazoned on dozens of different products and items of merchandise.
Why is Takashi Murakami so popular?
Unlike many other well-respected artists, Takashi Murakami is willing to create relatively inexpensive merchandise based on his sculptures and paintings (which often sell for millions of dollars).
It’s more about creating goods and selling them than about exhibitions.
Takashi Murakami
As a result, his art can be afforded by a large number of people, and his willingness to collaborate with other artists, designers, and musicians, means his work is constantly being introduced to new audiences.
How tall is Takashi Murakami?
Takashi Murakami’s height has never officially been reported but based on analysis of photos of him standing next to individuals whose height is known, it is estimated that he is 5′ 7″ (or just over 170 cm) tall.
Are Takashi Murakami and Haruki Murakami related?
Takashi Murakami is not related to the Japan-born author Haruki Murakami (born in 1949). He also isn’t related to Ryū Murakami, another Japanese novelist.
