Takashi Murakami - Japanese artist taking on the world
 

Here is an interesting article about Murakami and his upcoming show in the United States:

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami is a litany of contradictions -- trained in classical art, he made his name through otaku pop culture; a fashion icon who rarely wears anything other than scruffy jeans and T-shirts; his work can be seen on cheap trinkets and 500,000 yen Louis Vuitton handbags.

Murakami is poised to bring more Japanese art to the world with the Oct. 29 opening of "Murakami" at the Geffen Contemporary in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles."

Part of the show takes its inspiration from Tokyo's Comike manga exhibitions and is filled with the artists pop art figure sculptures. Another section features bags and accessories from his famous, or infamous, Louis Vuitton Collaboration. The final section shows Murakami's paintings and sculptures split into two parts...

Full article: Yen and the art of Takashi Murakami - Mainichi

Some of his recent work for Kanye West

He makes some very cool stuff.

Takeshi Murakami
 

Takashi Murakami is Japan's biggest contemporary art star, and has been for almost a decade. As his MOCA Los Angeles mid-career retrospective gets closer, the Japan Times offers up three articles looking back at Murakami's career and forward at the future with, and without him:

How will history judge Murakami the artist?

Right now there are at least two movements that will one day require their champions. One is the rise of non-Western art; the other is the final consummation of the union between art and commerce, which was set in motion by the Pop artists. Takashi Murakami has a shot at both titles...

Murakami: Heritage + manga = contemporary art

The key to Takashi Murakami's success was that his art came packaged with a theory, and for that theory he relied heavily on a 1970 book titled "The Lineage of Eccentricity," by art historian Nobuo Tsuji...

A legacy in question as Takashi Murakami gets animated

Artists can never be 100 percent sure of their legacies. Some die famous and confident they'll be remembered for generations. If they're lucky, they might be right.

On Japanese television, where Murakami is a frequent guest on variety and art-themed shows, he doesn't look his age, playing with aplomb the role of the otaku artist, complete with baby face, ponytail and oversize wire-rimmed glasses. In person, however, his eyes are creased and puffy, and advertise clearly: "I'm 45 years old." Equally conspicuous are his confident voice and his big bursts of laughter...

He just had an art exhibition here in Downtown LA. :rolleyes:
Did you check that out?

Takashi Murakami ©
 

I just went to a Murakami exhibit yesterday! It was so amazing.
Is anyone else a fan of his?
In case you're not familiar with the name... he's the guy who helped
Kanye West's album art for his GRADUATION album.

Yes! I've been following Murakami for 5 years or more. I actually met him and he signed (and drew in) my Superflat book a few years ago. I tried out some of my poor Japanese on him. The latest book from the LA exhibit is great if you have $70.00 to spare.

I love this artist! :D

I've never heard of him but have seen Kanye West's album cover and I think its so cute. His works are pretty awesome~!