No Reserve

426

Takashi Murakami

KebaKeba (Gaudy Tawdry)

Estimate
$1,500 - 2,500
$1,397
Lot Details
The complete artist's book of six lithographs in colors, on wove paper, with full margins, with title page, justification and text by Yujin Kitagawa in Japanese and English on embossed sheets, all inset to white boards (as issued), all contained in the original white linen-bound portfolio and white cardboard slipcase.
2003-04
all I. approx. 15 1/2 x 15 5/8 in. (39.4 x 39.7 cm)
all S. 17 3/4 x 17 5/8 in. (45.1 x 44.8 cm) (sight)
book 37 1/4 x 30 x 1 5/8 in. (94.6 x 76.2 x 4.1 cm)
Signed by the artist and author, dated and numbered 4/100 in pencil on the title page (there were also 15 artist's proofs), published by Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., Tokyo.

Catalogue Essay

Artworks ©2003-04 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd., All Rights Reserved

Takashi Murakami

Japanese | 1962

Takashi Murakami is best known for his contemporary combination of fine art and pop culture. He uses recognizable iconography like Mickey Mouse and cartoonish flowers and infuses it with Japanese culture. The result is a boldly 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 consumer culture." The artist plays on the familiar aesthetic of mangas, Japanese-language comics, to render works that appear democratic and accessible, all the while denouncing the universality and unspecificity of consumer goods. True to form, Murakami has done collaborations with numerous brands and celebrities including Kanye West, Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams and Google.

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