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Takashi Murakami

むらかみ たかし

Murakami Takashi

Pen Names:

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1962-02-01 （Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Contemporary artist, Pop artist, Film director, Business executive
Active Years
1991-
Affiliations
Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. (CEO), University of California, Los Angeles (Visiting Professor, former)
Influenced By
Yoshinori Kanada, Kodai Nakahara, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Hayao Miyazaki
Influenced
Younger contemporary artists (e.g., Kaikai Kiki artists), Pop / fashion world (through collaborations with brands such as Louis Vuitton), Music creators (e.g., Kanye West)

Education

Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts
Faculty of Fine Arts / Department of Nihonga (Japanese-style painting)
Degree: 学士
Period: 入学〜1986年卒業
Year of Graduation: 1986
Country: Japan
Undergraduate graduation work 'Portrait Looking Sideways' is in the Tokyo Geidai Museum collection
Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School, Graduate School of Art
Graduate School of Fine Arts / Nihonga (Master's program)
Degree: 修士
Period: 修士課程 修了（1988年）
Year of Graduation: 1988
Country: Japan
Completed master's with second-place graduation production
Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School, Doctoral Program
Graduate School of Fine Arts / Nihonga (Doctoral program)
Degree: 博士（美術）
Period: 博士後期課程 修了（1993年）
Year of Graduation: 1993
Country: Japan
Doctoral dissertation: 'On the Meaning of Meaninglessness in Art'

Awards

Newcomer Award, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Art Encouragement
2006
Work: Exhibition 'Little Boy' and related activities
Category: 美術
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (Arts)
2016
Work: Exhibition 'Takashi Murakami: Five Hundred Arhats'
Category: 美術
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: 受賞
TIME 100 (The World's Most Influential People)
2008
Organization: Time magazine
Result: 選出
GQ Men of the Year 2008
2008
Organization: GQ Japan
Result: 受賞
GQ Men of the Year 2024 Best Artist
2024
Organization: GQ Japan
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Miss Ko2 (KoKo)

Sculpture / Figurine

A life-size girl figurine produced in collaboration with Kaiyodo and others; one of Murakami's high-profile works sold at auction.

SubcultureSex and commodificationPop imagery

HIROPON

1994 Sculpture / Figurine

A life-size girl figurine depicted jump-roping with breast milk; an early provocative work.

ProvocationBody representationCritique of consumer culture

My Lonesome CowBoy

Sculpture / Figurine

A life-size male figurine; drew international attention when sold for a high price at Sotheby's in New York.

SexIdolizationCommerciality

Mr. DOB (DOB-kun)

Character / Illustration

A signature original character serving as an icon of Murakami's artistic universe and sometimes functioning as a self-portrait.

Character cultureCommercial artParody

Flowers

Illustration / Graphic

A smiling-flower character series widely known from collaborations such as with Louis Vuitton.

PopCommercial designAffability

Five Hundred Arhats

2012 Large-scale painting installation

A large series of paintings created as a prayer for the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake; the Mori Art Museum exhibition received critical attention.

PrayerDisaster (earthquake)Connection of tradition and contemporary

6HP / Six Heart Princess

2016 Animation (TV)

An anime series with Murakami as general director; noted for its broadcast format and production process as an experimental project.

Girl imageryAdoption of commercial formatsMedia experimentation

Mememe no Kurage

2013 Film (Feature)

A theatrically released film directed by Murakami, produced by Kaikai Kiki and distributed by Gaga.

AnimationSelf-expressionCollage aesthetics

Bibliography

  • DOB in the Mysterious Forest: Takashi Murakami 1st Works (1999)
  • SUPERFLAT (2000)
  • Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture (2005)
  • Takashi Murakami: Five Hundred Arhats (ed. Mori Art Museum, 2016)
  • Art Entrepreneurship Theory (2006)

Adaptations

  • Mememe no Kurage (film, released 2013)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Flat, pop-inflected expression based on the Superflat theoryIncorporation of nihonga, ukiyo-e and Rinpa compositional elements
Recurring Motifs
Eyeball motifsFlowers (smiling flower)Characters (Mr. DOB)Anime/figure-like bishoujo figures

Legacy

Takashi Murakami formulated 'Superflat' and linked Japanese subculture with contemporary art, gaining international recognition. Through brand collaborations and artist support activities (GEISAI, Kaikai Kiki) he has exerted broad influence, while also generating controversies over provocative expression and commercialism in his international exhibitions.

Museums

  • Mori Art Museum Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
  • Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) Los Angeles, United States
  • Palace of Versailles (exhibition venue) Versailles, France

In Popular Culture

  • Influenced the fashion world through collaborations with Louis Vuitton
  • Collaborations with musicians (Kanye West, Billie Eilish, etc.)
  • Penetration into popular culture via character design and merchandising

Quotes

  • I cannot become a genius like Matisse, but I can understand the world as seen by artists like Picasso or Warhol.
    Source: Interview remark (source: Wikipedia summary)

Trivia

  • Attended Hongo High School; classmates included manga artist Tetsuo Hara.
  • Actively commercializes and collaborates his artworks and characters.
  • Characters such as Mr. DOB and the Flowers are widely recognized.