2010
Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami may be famous among collectors for the psychedelic flowers and chaotic cartoons that populate his prints and paintings, but artists likely know him as the theorist behind the contemporary art movement he calls “Superflat.”
Partially inspired by the Pop art of Andy Warhol, in which celebrity culture and mundane mass-produced items became the focus of bright and colorful works that both celebrated and criticized consumerism, Murakami’s Superflat encompasses painting, sculpture, digital design and more to present a subversive look at consumerism but is also an effort to blend fine art and lowbrow culture.
A multifaceted and remarkably influential artist as well as a compulsive art collector, Murakami has collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton, while one of his most famous Superflat works is the teddy bear on the cover of the Graduation album by American rapper Kanye West.
In 1993 Murakami earned his Ph.D. from Tokyo University of the Arts, where he was trained in nihonga, a style of painting that originated in the late 19th century by artists who worked to preserve and promote the conventions and processes associated with traditional Japanese art. While practicing nihonga, Murakami began to realize that his beliefs didn’t align with the tradition, so his art subsequently took on a satirical feel that embodied a critique of the movement. Before long, his style took a drastic turn, embracing otaku, a rising postwar cultural phenomenon among Japan’s younger crowd who loved anime and manga. (Otaku is also integral to Superflat.)
This is when Murakami’s most well-known character, Mr. DOB, was born. This anime-inspired icon, which Americans might interpret as a cross between Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat given its pronounced ears and broad and menacing grin, was part of the artist’s endeavor to elevate the otaku subculture but also to target mass consumerism. While Murakami conceived of Mr. DOB years ahead of his 2000-era Superflat theory, there is much common ground between the two. Not unlike his other creations, Murakami’s Mr. DOB is equal parts erotic, disturbing and cartoonish — an incisive mockery of the mingling of commerce and fine art so prevalent in Japanese popular culture.
Find original Takashi Murakami prints, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.
Cube 2 Offset Lithograph Print, Contemporary, Signed, 21st Century
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset lithograph in colours, on smooth wove paper Edition 194 of 300 59.7 x 59.7 cm (23.5 x 23.5 in) Signed and numbered on front Artwork in excellent condition.Some minor handling ...
Offset
Contemporary Signed Flowers in Heaven Offset Lithograph Print
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset lithograph in colours on wove paper Edition 215 of 300 68 x 68 cm (26.8 x 26.8 in) Signed and numbered on the front Artwork in excellent condition. Barely visible minute creas...
Offset
Kōrin: The Land Beyond Death Offset Print, Signed, 21st Century
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset print, cold stamp and high gloss varnishing Edition 33 of 300 Signed and numbered on the front Mint Our mission is to connect art collectors to opportunity. Whether it be fig...
Offset
Embrace Happiness! Signed Lithograph, Contemporary, Edition 133/300
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset lithograph with cold stamp on smooth wove paper Edition 133 of 300 Mint. Minor imperfections may appear due to the production process Signed and numbered on the front
Lithograph
Warhol Silver Offset Lithograph Print, Signed, Edition 48/300
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset lithograph in colours, on smooth wove paper Edition 48 of 300 71 cm (D) (28 in) Signed and numbered on front Artwork in excellent condition. Only visible under raking lighting...
Offset
Open Your Hands Wide Lithograph, Signed Edition 154/300, 76 x 92 cm
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Bristol, GB
Offset lithograph Edition 154 of 300 76 x 92 cm (29.9 x 36.2 in) Signed and numbered on the front Mint, as issued Published by Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd
Lithograph
Takashi Murakami "Flowers Have Bloomed " Lithograph
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Murakami, Takashi Title: Flowers Have Bloomed Date: 2000 Medium: Offset-lithograph with cold-stamping Unframed Dimensions: 31.5" x 23.75" Framed Dimensions: 37.125" x...
Lithograph
Takashi Murakami "Let Us Devote Our Hearts" Lithograph
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Murakami, Takashi Title: Let Us Devote Our Hearts Date: 2022 Medium: Offset Lithograph in colors on smooth wove paper Unframed Dimensions: 28" x 28" Framed Dimensions: ...
Lithograph
TAKASHI MURAKAMI - I KNOW NOT I KNOW Hand signed & numbered. Superflat, Pop Art
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
I KNOW NOT, I KNOW Date of creation: 2010 Medium: Offset lithograph with silver and UV varnish on paper Edition: 300 Size: 68.9 × 53 cm Condition: In mint conditions and not framed O...
Varnish, Lithograph, Offset
Flowers have bloomed (2000). Limited Edition (print) by Takashi Murakami signed
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Hong Kong, HK
Flowers have bloomed, 2000 by Takashi Murakami Offset print, numbered and signed by the artist Published by Kaikai Kiki 31 1/2 × 23 3/5 in 80 × 60 cm Edition 20/300 Takashi Murakami is best known for his contemporary combination of fine art and pop culture. He uses recognizable iconography like Doraemon and cartoonish flowers and infuses it with Japanese culture. The result is a colorful body of work that takes the shape of paintings, sculptures and animations. In the 1990s, Murakami founded the Superflat movement in an attempt to expose the "shallow emptiness of Japanese consumeristic culture." The artist plays on the familiar aesthetic of mangas, Japanese-language comics, to render works that appear popular and accessible, all the while denouncing the universality and impersonality of consumer goods. Murakami has done collaborations with numerous brands and celebrities including Kanye West, Louis Vuitton...
Offset
Takashi Murakami "Lots of Flowers" Lithograph
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Boston, MA
Artist: Murakami, Takashi Title: Lots of Flowers Date: 2024 Medium: Offset lithograph in colors on smooth wove paper Unframed Dimensions: 23.6" x 23.6" Framed Dimensions: 29.5"...
Lithograph
Circus: Embrace Peace and Darkness within Thy Heart
By Takashi Murakami
Located in London, GB
Takashi Murakami Circus: Embrace Peace and Darkness within Thy Heart, 2020 Offset lithograph 68.9 x 53 cm - paper 82 x 66 x 2.2 cm - framed with UV resistant artglass. Edition 141 of...
Offset
Once built for curbs and handrails, these boards now hang beside blue-chip works in major museums and collectors’ homes.
Experience works by Wassily Kandinsky and many other artists in shows/venues across the City of Light.
