Murakami

Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton


"First of all, distinctively situate his/her position in art history. Second, articulate what the beauty of his/her art is. Next, sexuality. Then, death."



The MMK is currently hosting the largest Takashi Murakami retrospective to date. Perhaps best known to western audience's for his album covers commissioned by rapper Kanye West, the artist is one of Japans most prolific contemporary artists, producing work heavily influenced by Otaku cultures. The accesibility of his work, deemed to be in the same pop vein as Warhol, has even encouraged the sponsorship of Louis Vuitton, who commissioned artwork for handbags released as recently as June of this year. This came shortly after he auctioned off his controversial sculpture My Lonesome Cowboy at Sotheby's for over 15 million American dollars.

An interview with the man revealing his art philosophy can be found here