Takashi Murakami - Contemporary Art Part I New York Thursday, May 17, 2007 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris (Tightrope Walker) and Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York (Hospital)

  • Exhibited

    Paris, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, June 27 – October 27, 2002; and London, Serpentine Gallery, Takashi Murakami, Kaikai Kiki, November 12, 2002 – January 26, 2003

  • Literature

    Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain and Serpentine Gallery, eds., Takashi Murakami, Kaikai Kiki, Paris, 2002, pp. 28 and 30 (illustrated)

  • Catalogue Essay

    “In Japanese we have this adjective, kikikaikai, which we use for strange things or phenomena, things that are frightening, disturbing or make us uneasy. But in this case, I was not referring directly to that expression but to another one, which, although based on the same sounds, is written with different Chinese ideograms. Kaikaikiki is a term that was used by an art critic to describe the works of the late 16th century painter Eitoku Kanô, It embraces several different notions: bravery and power, with all the seductiveness those traits may have, and at the same time a keen sensitivity,” (Takashi Murakami quoted in Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain and Serpentine Gallery, eds., Takashi Murakami, Kaikai Kiki, Paris, 2002).

  • Artist Biography

    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.

    View More Works

29

Tightrope Walker and Hospital

2002
Two works: both acrylic on canvas.
Each 27 5/8 x 39 3/8 x 1 7/8 in. (70.2 x 100 x 4.8 cm).
Tightrope Walker signed “Takashi [in English] Murakami [in Japanese]” on the reverse. Hospital signed and dated “Murakami 02 [in Japanese]” on the reverse.

Estimate
$200,000 - 300,000 

Sold for $408,000

Contemporary Art Part I

17 May 2007
7pm New York