Takashi Murakami is one of contemporary art’s most innovative and important figures. Drawing from street culture, high art, and traditional Japanese painting, Murakami takes the contemporary art trend of mixing high and low to an unprecedented level (critics call him the new Warhol), producing original paintings and sculptures as well as mass-produced consumer objects such as toys, books, and most famously, a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton. A committed supporter and spokesperson for Japanese artists and a powerful commentator on postwar culture and society, Murakami has organized influential exhibitions of Japanese art as well as a biannual art fair in Tokyo. Murakami has positioned himself as a new type of artist for the twenty-first century: a hybrid of creator, entrepreneur, and cultural ambassador.In conjunction with the first major retrospective of his work, Murakami traces Murakami’s global impact socially, culturally, and art historically. Essays focus on Murakami’s early works, which were based on a social critique of Japan’s rampant consumerism; the development of his characters; his work with anime, fantasy; otaku culture; and his engagement with global pop culture. Representing output from original works of art to mass-produced multiples, the catalogue also considers the implications of Murakami’s working methods within the tradition of the Western avant-garde.
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About the Author
Takashi Murakami was born in Tokyo in 1962 and received his BFA, MFA and PhD from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. His work has been exhibited in prestigious museums all over the world. Paul Schimmel is Chief Curator of The Museum of Contemporary, Los Angeles, where he has organized numerous ground-breaking exhibitions. Lisa Gabrielle Mark is Director of Publications at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. She has written widely on contemporary art.
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The decisive influence of Japan upon the development of contemporary culture needs little recounting. Western artists, from Manet and Monet forward, have adapted design principles found in Japanese prints to create compositions of increasing flatness and abstraction. The philosophy of Zen Buddhism has influenced a range of practices in Western painting, music, and dance since the mid-twentieth century. In recent decades, Japanese consumer products--from electronics to automobiles--have profoundly affected societies worldwide, while the products of Japanese popular culture--anime and manga in particular--have found an international audience. In his work and unique practice, Takashi Murakami seemingly picks out and reconfigures the disparate threads of Japanese influence that have been woven into the fabric of international culture over the last one hundred-plus years. If only for this reason, Murakami has swiftly risen to the position of one of the most influential and acclaimed artists to emerge from Asia in the postwar era. Murakami is now a distinct "brand"; his career is marked by extraordinary levels of ambition and achievement, and his work offers a brilliant and unique synthesis of the personal and the commercial. Trained in the school of nihonga--traditional Japanese-style painting--Murakami has created works that bridge that tradition and the worlds of contemporary art, design, animation, fashion, and popular culture. Extending the trajectory of production by artists such as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, his oeuvre not only includes painting, sculpture, installation, and animation, but also a wide range of collectibles, multiples, and commercial products. Murakami expands the role of the artist well beyond its traditional boundaries--Western or Japanese. In conjunction with heading his international corporation Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., which has three locations in Japan and New York, he continues to incorporate a vast range of activities, taking on the responsibilities of curator, entrepreneur, publisher, lecturer, events coordinator, and manager. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), has been privileged to host Murakami on several previous occasions. In 2001, the influential "Superflat," a Murakami-organized exhibition of work by young Japanese artists, inaugurated MOCA's Pacific Design Center gallery. That same year, his work was featured in "Public Offerings," organized by Chief Curator Paul Schimmel. In 2004, Aya Takano, an artist managed by Murakami who also participated in "Superflat," launched The world after 800,000,000 years for MOCA's online digital gallery. Most recently, in 2005, Murakami's DOB in the Strange Forest and Super Nova (both 1999) were on display at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA as a part of "Ecstasy: In and About Altered States," also organized by Schimmel. MOCA's ongoing relationship with Murakami culminates in "© Murakami," the artist's largest survey exhibition to date, including over ninety works from his extensive oeuvre, a broad range of Kaikai Kiki merchandise, and a fully operational Louis Vuitton boutique featuring new designs by the artist as an integral element of the exhibition. "© Murakami" continues the museum's longstanding dedication to the organization and presentation of exhibitions by exceptional and challenging mid-career artists, including Douglas Gordon, Rodney Graham, Barbara Kruger, Gabriel Orozco, Charles Ray, and Christopher Wool. This exhibition would not have been possible without the tremendous vision of Paul Schimmel, whose own passion and excitement for Murakami's work has fueled their ongoing relationship over the years. Schimmel, who gained Murakami's attention with his landmark 1992 show "Helter Skelter: L.A. Art in the 1990s" at MOCA, has been pivotal in creating a basis for understanding the artist's work in Los Angeles through exhibitions such as "Public Offerings" and "Ecstasy." Working closely with the artist with the assistance of Mika Yoshitake, project coordinator, and Yuko Sakata, executive director of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., Schimmel has tailored an outstanding exhibition that will present Murakami's work in its full breadth to American and European audiences. Exhibitions like "© Murakami," unusual for art museums in their scale, ambition, and complexity, rely upon the most devoted and visionary supporters for their realization. I wish to express my unending gratitude to MOCA's extraordinary Board of Trustees, led by Chair Clifford J. Einstein, President Dallas Price-Van Breda, and Vice Chair Michael Sandler, for their commitment, with special thanks to Audrey Irmas through the Sydney Irmas Exhibition Endowment, William and Maria Bell, Dallas Price-Van Breda, and Tom and Janet Unterman for their particular support. I am deeply grateful to exhibition sponsors Blum & Poe, Steven and Alexandra Cohen, Kathi and Gary Cypres, Gagosian Gallery, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, The Norton Family Foundation, Marianne Boesky, David Teiger, The MOCA Contemporaries, The Japan Foundation, and the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. My most profound gratitude goes to Takashi Murakami for his revelatory and transformative work, his commitment to MOCA, and his tireless dedication to this exhibition. His energy and the amazing efforts of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., have brought this exhibition to the highest level.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous book,
By
This review is from: Murakami (Hardcover)
It is a fantastic and extensive retrospective of Murakami's work. It is the largest book I own and might be also the nicest. Additionally the introductory theoretic papers on his art are extremely interesting. For people that like Murakami's work it is a fabulous acquisition.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant! Art for the 21st Century,
By Buffy (Sunnydale) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Murakami (Hardcover)
This book and the traveling retrospective show of Murakami's artwork shows the full scope and genius of his art. The pieces are entertaining and thought-provoking...here is finally an artist that is exiting to watch and see what he will come up with next. If Andy Warhol had lived into the 21st century this might have been where he'd have ended up. Murakami takes both the low to high concept, and the factory model to the next level. Most importantly: it's fun! The book is about as comprehensive as we're likely to get until an end of career survey comes many years later so this is the one to get.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
LIKED IT A LOT,
By SHALINI (NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Murakami (Hardcover)
I did like this book a lot w/ beautifull images & the glossy paper made the images look very vibrant & bright.very informative about the artists work .worth the price.
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