Takashi Murakami

(Japanese, b. 1962) 

“Rather than a big figure, I guess you could say I’m more of an influential minority symbol.”
— Takashi Murakami

Artistic genius Takashi Murakami blurs the line between high and low art. His aesthetic features bright colors and flat, highly glossy textures depicting cute, sometimes disturbing, anime-influenced characters. His artwork has roots in Japanese history and culture, but is fresh, relatable, and enjoyable internationally. Murakami is known for his Superflat theory, published in 2000, in which he observes the flat, two-dimensional imagery in manga and anime as having heritage coming from Japanese art history. Another angle on the idea of Superflat is that it also describes how differences in popular taste and social class have flattened in post-war Japanese society, creating a culture where 'high' and 'low' are not so separate. It also refers to Murakami’s artistic style as he takes components typically thought of as subcultural or low art and puts them in the high art market, and conversely, puts work with more traditionally high art elements into affordable merchandise, like t-shirts and plush toys, flattening the playing field.

Murakami was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1962, and the aftermath of WWII deeply affected his upbringing. Japan created a national identity to revive traditional culture, while also placing pressure to compete with the West economically and culturally. This atmosphere was an underwritten factor in the artist attendance of Buddhist rituals and Japanese calligraphy courses, as well as visiting museums to learn from masters such as Renoir and Goya. From an early age, he was a fan of anime and manga, and although interested in the animation industry, he attended the Tokyo University of the Arts and earned his doctoral degree in Nihonga, the traditional style of Japanese painting. After becoming disillusioned with Nihonga’s dogmatic nature, he began to focus on the more contemporary styles that he would use to carve out his niche and which would elevate him in the art world. He was also disappointed with Japan’s contemporary art, finding it “a deep appropriation of Western trends,” and his early work involved social criticism and satire. Murakami received a fellowship in 1994, to be in the PS1 International Studio Program for a year in New York City, where Western contemporary artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Jeff Koons inspired him. He then opened a small studio and factory in Japan, and solidifying his unique approach and style, started successfully presenting his artwork at major institutions and galleries across America and Europe.

Murakami is now the founder and President of Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd., where he employs young artists, personally mentors them, curates exhibitions of their works, and writes essays integrating their work into the legacy of modern Japanese art. He also founded and organized the biannual art fair Geisai. The artist has had a long and successful collaboration with fashion brand Louis Vuitton. Murakami has also created cover artwork and directed an animated music video for rapper Kanye West. In 2007, Murakami's first retrospective, ©Murakami, traveled the world for two years, from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, to the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, and finally the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain.

American Fine Art, Inc. is proud to feature the original works and limited editions of Takashi Murakami. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, Arizona or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. To learn more about collecting, pricing, value, or any other art information, please contact one of our International Art Consultants. We look forward to giving you the one on one attention you deserve when building your fine art collection. We hope you find our website helpful and look forward to seeing you in Scottsdale soon.