Takashi Murakami (américano-japonais, né le 1er février 1962 à Tokyo) est un peintre et un sculpteur connu pour mêler beauxarts, mercantilisme, esthétique japonaise et critique culturelle dans ses oeuvres. Murakami obtient licence, maîtrise et doctorat à l’université nationale des beaux-arts et de musique à Tokyo où il étudie le Nihonga (peinture traditionnelle japonaise). Il est reconnu en tant que sculpteur au début des années 1990, en explorant dans son travail le otaku (terme japonais qui désigne une obsession pour les dessins animés et les bandes dessinées) et les contradictions entre société japonaise contemporaine et culture américaine. En 1996, il crée la Hiropon Factory au Japon, qui devient plus tard Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., groupe d’art contemporain soutenant le travail de jeunes artistes qui produit et commercialise également des produits dérivés. Murakami est aussi conservateur de musée et observateur critique de l’art japonais. En 2000, il fonde le Superflat, mouvement post-moderne inspiré par les mangas japonais, le design graphique, les estampes japonaises traditionnelles et les sérigraphies. Tout au long de sa carrière, Murakami brouille les limites entre art et culture populaire et fait de son art une marque en le commercialisant, notamment à travers son célèbre personnage Mr. Dob. L’aspect commercial de son travail atteint son apogée en 2003 lorsqu’il collabore avec Marc Jacobs sur un nouveau logo Louis Vuitton et de nouveaux sacs à main. Murakami vit et travaille à Tokyo et à New York.
Takashi Murakami (Japanese-American, born February 1st 1962 in Tokyo) is a painter and sculptor known for mixing Beauxarts, mercantilism, Japanese aesthetics and cultural criticism in his works. Murakami obtained a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo where he studied Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting). He was recognized as a sculptor in the early 1990s, exploring in his work the otaku (Japanese term for an obsession with cartoons and comics) and the contradictions between contemporary Japanese society and American culture. In 1996, he created the Hiropon Factory in Japan, which Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., a contemporary art group supporting the work of young artists who also produce and market by-products. Murakami is also a museum curator and critical observer of Japanese art. In 2000, he founded the Superflat, a post-modern movement inspired by Japanese mangas, graphic design, traditional Japanese prints and screen prints. Throughout his career, Murakami blurred the boundaries between art and popular culture and made his art a brand by marketing it, notably through his famous character Mr. Dob. The commercial aspect of his work reached its peak in 2003 when he collaborated with Marc Jacobs on a new Louis Vuitton logo and new handbags. Murakami lives and works in Tokyo and New York.
Takashi Murakami (Japanese-American, born February 1st 1962 in Tokyo) is a painter and sculptor known for mixing Beauxarts, mercantilism, Japanese aesthetics and cultural criticism in his works. Murakami obtained a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo where he studied Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting). He was recognized as a sculptor in the early 1990s, exploring in his work the otaku (Japanese term for an obsession with cartoons and comics) and the contradictions between contemporary Japanese society and American culture. In 1996, he created the Hiropon Factory in Japan, which Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., a contemporary art group supporting the work of young artists who also produce and market by-products. Murakami is also a museum curator and critical observer of Japanese art. In 2000, he founded the Superflat, a post-modern movement inspired by Japanese mangas, graphic design, traditional Japanese prints and screen prints. Throughout his career, Murakami blurred the boundaries between art and popular culture and made his art a brand by marketing it, notably through his famous character Mr. Dob. The commercial aspect of his work reached its peak in 2003 when he collaborated with Marc Jacobs on a new Louis Vuitton logo and new handbags. Murakami lives and works in Tokyo and New York.