Takashi Murakami (村上 隆, Murakami Takashi, born February 1, 1962) is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts. He coined the term “superflat“, which describes both the aesthetic characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of post-war Japanese culture and society, and is also used for Murakami’s artistic style and other Japanese artists he has influenced.[1]
Murakami is the founder and President of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., through which he manages several younger artists. He was the founder and organizer of the biannual art fair Geisai.[2]
With 12 rounded petals and smiling faces, Takashi Murakami’s flowers are celebrated for their display of joy and innocence. The Japanese artist’s fascination with flowers began when he worked as a school teacher in the 1980s. Every other day, the artist would buy fresh blooms for his students to practice drawing. After repeating this lesson plan for nine years, he found himself enchanted by the individual personalities of flowers. With their beaming smiles, Murakami’s flowers are now his most recognizable motif, having been featured everywhere from the Versailles Palace to Vans sneakers.
