A Fork in the Road
View Similar Items
Takashi MurakamiA Fork in the Road2021
2021
About the Item
- Creator:Takashi Murakami (1963, Japanese)
- Creation Year:2021
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- More Editions & Sizes:Edition of 100Price: $4,595
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Tokyo, JP
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU165829632672
Takashi Murakami
Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami may be famous among collectors for his psychedelic flowers and chaotic cartoons, 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 more on 1stDibs.
- Sharpen my Tongue (Grey) By London Artists The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexHand Embellished Pigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish Edition of 20 Print size 41 x 31 cm (16 x 12 Inches) Framed Size 51 x 41cm (20 x 16 Inches) This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Walnut Frame Enquire for Unframed price Strange Tracey source all works directly from the Publisher Provided with a certificate of authenticity from the Publisher The Connor Brothers art work explores the boundary between truth and fiction, and raises questions about how we construct meaning from experience. the artist punch a hole in our every day construction of reality, allowing us to catch a glimpse of an altogether larger world with infinitely more possibilities. The Connor Brothers first entered the art scene as American twins. Twins Franklyn and Brendan Connor were brought up within a secretive and highly controversial cult known as ‘The Family’. Born out of the hippy movement in 1968 and founded by David Berg ‘The Family’ was an extreme Christian cult whose members believed in something called ‘The System’. Other children brought up within the cult include the actors River and Joaquin Phoenix...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Vice Versa, Original Print Signed By The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexLast One! Pigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish 120 x 75 cm (47 x 29 1/2 inches) Print area Edition of 150 This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Oak Frame Entire Paper size - 130 x 90cm (51 1/2 x 35 Inches) Strange Tracey source all works directly from The Connor Brothers...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- IN ORDER TO KNOW VIRTUE, By London Artists The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexHand Embellished Pigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish Edition of 20 Print size 100 x 69 cm (39 x 27 Inches) Framed Size 109 x 79cm (43 x 31 Inches) This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Walnut Frame Strange Tracey source all works directly from the Publisher Provided with a certificate of authenticity from the Publisher The Connor Brothers art work explores the boundary between truth and fiction, and raises questions about how we construct meaning from experience. the artist punch a hole in our every day construction of reality, allowing us to catch a glimpse of an altogether larger world with infinitely more possibilities. The Connor Brothers first entered the art scene as American twins. Twins Franklyn and Brendan Connor were brought up within a secretive and highly controversial cult known as ‘The Family’. Born out of the hippy movement in 1968 and founded by David Berg ‘The Family’ was an extreme Christian cult whose members believed in something called ‘The System’. Other children brought up within the cult include the actors River and Joaquin Phoenix...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- What Matters in Life, Print By British Artists The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexPigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish 120 x 75 cm (47 x 29 1/2 inches) Print area Edition of 150 This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Oak Frame Entire Paper size - 130 x 90cm ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Paper, Archival Pigment
- IF IT'S NOT WEIRD - By London Artists The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexHand Embellished Pigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish Edition of 20 Print size 41 x 31 cm (16 x 12 Inches) Framed Size 51 x 41cm (20 x 16 Inches) This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Walnut Frame Strange Tracey source all works directly from the Publisher Provided with a certificate of authenticity from the Publisher The Connor Brothers art work explores the boundary between truth and fiction, and raises questions about how we construct meaning from experience. the artist punch a hole in our every day construction of reality, allowing us to catch a glimpse of an altogether larger world with infinitely more possibilities. The Connor Brothers first entered the art scene as American twins. Twins Franklyn and Brendan Connor were brought up within a secretive and highly controversial cult known as ‘The Family’. Born out of the hippy movement in 1968 and founded by David Berg ‘The Family’ was an extreme Christian cult whose members believed in something called ‘The System’. Other children brought up within the cult include the actors River and Joaquin Phoenix...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- I Can Resist Everything, Print By The Connor BrothersBy The Connor BrothersLocated in Battle, East SussexLast one in stock! Pigment Print with Silkscreen Varnish 120 x 75 cm (47 x 29 1/2 inches) Print area Edition of 150 This Print is Offered Framed in a Simple Oak Frame Entire Paper size - 130 x 90cm (51 1/2 x 35 Inches) Strange Tracey source all works directly from The Connor Brothers...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Pop Art Figurative Prints
MaterialsArchival Paper, Archival Pigment