For the past 20 years, Takashi Murakami has reshaped the way we think of contemporary art. By blurring the traditional lines drawn between Eastern and Western Art and marrying historical narratives with post-modern aesthetics, he has created an extensive body of work that integrates high art and popular culture in an accessible yet intellectually complex manner. Visually, Murakami’s paintings and sculptures are colorful and inviting, referencing lovable cartoon characters and perky imagery rendered in bright hues on flat and glossy surfaces. These signature motifs allow the artist to simultaneously reference his Japanese upbringing yet create works that are employable to international audiences.

The present lot, DOB, 1996, is a prime example of Murakami creating a Japanese icon that would generate immediate universal appeal. The character in the painting, MR. DOB, was created by the artist in 1993 and serves as a self-portrait or alter-ego in his work. Mr. DOB has a circular head with two ears with the letter “D” inscribed on the left ear and “B” on the right while the face is shaped like an “O” creating a distinct reference to the character’s name. DOB is a construction of the Dada phrase “Dobojite, dobojite” (why? Why?) and the Japanese catchphrase “oshamanbe.” It is this deep structural understanding of Western art integrated alongside kitsch “Japanese-ness” that has escalated Murakami into his permanent status as a revolutionary in the art world. With a self portrait at its center surrounded by a pool of shimmering silver, the present lot, DOB, 1996 captures the quintessence of its maker.