About The Work
Takashi Murakami, who has a PhD in nihonga painting, combines the most cutting-edge techniques with the precision and virtuosity of traditional Japanese art. Inspired by manga and kawaii culture, his irresistible world is peopled by monstrous and charming characters alike, facetiously portrayed as descendants of past myths. His theory of the superflat aesthetic, which he introduced in 2001 with the trilogy exhibition he curated (the third part was titled “Little Boy,” a reference to the code name for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945), attempts to blur the boundaries between popular art and high art; the superflat movement has explored the evolution of Japan’s understanding of its post-Hiroshima condition and the interrelationships between vanguard art, manga and anime, and their forerunner, ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The absence of perspective, the two-dimensionality of ancient Japanese art, filters into every medium.
Since his first monographic exhibition outside Japan in 1995 at Perrotin, Murakami has achieved recognition as one of the most prominent contemporary artists of his time, and his work has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions at museums and art institutions throughout the world.
About Takashi Murakami
From The Magazine
- Interviews & Features: 5 Great Pieces To Bid On in the Together In Distance Auction
- Interviews & Features: Caught Out by the New York Plastic Bag Ban? It's Time to Invest in a Fine Art Tote
- Art 101: Learn Your Art World A-B-Cs With the Frieze Editors' Glib Guide to Jargon
- Interviews & Features: Welcome to the Garden of Forking Paths: Ed Winkleman on How to Navigate the Art Industry's Strange New Landscape
- News & Events: Why Does Phaidon's Vitamin P3 Survey of Contemporary Painting Matter?
Book
Text by Nobuo Tsuji
Hardcover with dust jacket, 332 pages
9.69 x 7.01 in
24.6 x 17.8 cm
Published by Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., 2017
About The Work
Takashi Murakami, who has a PhD in nihonga painting, combines the most cutting-edge techniques with the precision and virtuosity of traditional Japanese art. Inspired by manga and kawaii culture, his irresistible world is peopled by monstrous and charming characters alike, facetiously portrayed as descendants of past myths. His theory of the superflat aesthetic, which he introduced in 2001 with the trilogy exhibition he curated (the third part was titled “Little Boy,” a reference to the code name for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945), attempts to blur the boundaries between popular art and high art; the superflat movement has explored the evolution of Japan’s understanding of its post-Hiroshima condition and the interrelationships between vanguard art, manga and anime, and their forerunner, ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The absence of perspective, the two-dimensionality of ancient Japanese art, filters into every medium.
Since his first monographic exhibition outside Japan in 1995 at Perrotin, Murakami has achieved recognition as one of the most prominent contemporary artists of his time, and his work has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions at museums and art institutions throughout the world.
About Takashi Murakami
From The Magazine
- Interviews & Features: 5 Great Pieces To Bid On in the Together In Distance Auction
- Interviews & Features: Caught Out by the New York Plastic Bag Ban? It's Time to Invest in a Fine Art Tote
- Art 101: Learn Your Art World A-B-Cs With the Frieze Editors' Glib Guide to Jargon
- Interviews & Features: Welcome to the Garden of Forking Paths: Ed Winkleman on How to Navigate the Art Industry's Strange New Landscape
- News & Events: Why Does Phaidon's Vitamin P3 Survey of Contemporary Painting Matter?
- Ships in 10 to 14 business days from New York.
- This work is final sale and not eligible for return.
- Questions about this work?
- Interested in other works by this artist or other artists? We will source them for you.
- Want to pay in installments?
Contact an Artspace Advisor
advisor@artspace.com
