Takashi Murakami Prints: "My First Art" Series

This book is further evidence of the brilliance of Murakami, his attention to detail and pedantic selection of colour in the reproduction of his prints in this volume, proves he is the consumate artist. It seems that whatever he turns his hand to sculpture, painting, prints or fashion, Murakami can bring the kitsch of "superflat", or his anime inspired sculptures into the eschallons of "high art". Like his predecessor Warhol, he has brought objects of popular culture and kitsch into the realm of the fine art gallerys of the world stage. Art in all its forms and eccentricities is his business and he is good at it.This book is full of prints that Murakami has produced, some from paintings, sculptures and some specifically for sale as prints. Murakami rationalises the rise of "superflat" as being 2D art, and a result of U S supression of Japan after the A-Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in WWII, with Japan being treated like an infant by the U S, hence their art became infantile. If you are looking for textual rationale there is very little, but you can easily find that information online.

I got this as a gift for my brother for Christmas and absolutely loves it. Best part was it came a week early which was nice since I ordered it a few days before Christmas knowing it would take at least two week to come all the way from Japan.

Excellent service from vendor, would highly recommendation. Book in perfect condition, T U!

Takashi Murakami stands as one of today's most prominent visual artists. In the past ten years his reputation has soared from word of mouth recommendation to near artworld ubiquity. Not to mention his attainment of what many consider the pinnacle of success, for better or worse, in the art world: his works now sell for millions of dollars. Perhaps it's appropriate that he represents the almost total integration of art and commerce, going far beyond where Andy Warhol dared to go. One of Murakami's exhibitions even featured a Louis Vuitton store at its very center. Some found this scandalous and confusing while others saw it as the logical and understandable conclusion of the commodification of the museum world. In any case, much money changed hands.Murakami's work showcases a stunning array of sometimes cute and sometimes disturbing images often cranked out factory style en masse for museums and collectors. Many have momentous, cathedral-esque proportions that spew layers of collage that could arguably be penned "anime-rococo." They impress by their sheer visual impact and scale alone. Critics have applied the term "eye candy" to his work more than once. Sculptures often accompany the paintings and these often tower above the exhibit floor and somehow manage to have the strange and compelling aura of statues of gods. His work seems to have a reverential subtext to it, but the mystery of the reverence, or just what should be revered, remains one of its sources of appeal. In all its cartoony fun it makes us stop and question our own beliefs and desires and just what objects of reverence really comprise underneath. One stops in front of a massive KaiKai KiKi sculpture and feels both awe and an accompanying strange tension as to why one finds the work so irresistible. Murakami has himself said in the past "I express hopelessness." Perhaps he meant the power of purely aesthetic objects to overtake human sensibilities, because, incredible as his works are, what real meaning lies beneath an enormous statue of Mr. DOB or of a large canvas entitled "Mr. DOB Puking" apart from raw sensual appeal? Perhaps meaninglessness is the appeal?As Murakami's fame rose throughout the first decade of the 21st century, his work also became more expensive and somewhat less accessible to the person with average means. Of course, this defines almost any art. The "My First Art" series attempted to remedy that by, as the book "Prints" says on its second page (in rather tiny print at the bottom): "Good quality works - at a low price." When this book first appeared in 2009 its price was considerably lower than other Murakami books available at the time. In fact, it seemed like a steal. The intervening years and Murakami's rise have also had an effect on this book's value, which now demands competitive and collectible prices. It's art, but it's also commerce, after all.The book itself contains a great retrospective of Murakami's work from his earlier work to the then present. It covers the Mr. DOB period extensively and straight off shows the famous "Hiropon" and "My Lonesome Cowboy" sculptures. The latter recently sold for $13.5 million. Most of Murakami's famous works appear in high-quality reproductions, though this softcover book is slightly smaller than the average coffee table-sized monolith. It contains very little text, most of it marginal in Japanese and English where chapters begin. And most of this text deals with the struggle of finding the optimal image quality for posters and artworks. The book thus remains largely and appropriately visual throughout. As such, it's a beautiful thing to look at, though larger books with larger reproductions also exist. It first appeared wrapped loosely in plastic with a small KaiKai KiKi sticker affixed to the wrapping. Inside was also an insert thanking Roppongi Hills featuring a cartoonified Murakami apologizing in Japanese and English for an inadvertent omission of Mori Building from the catalogue. And this book does seem to have accompanied an exhibit at KaiKai KiKi gallery in 2008, or so the dates listed in the front seem to suggest.Overall, this is yet another great collection of Murakami artwork that any fan will love to sit and wallow in. It also captures the time right around Murakami's first peak as an artist. There are surely many more peaks yet to come.

定価の約3倍のプレミア価格であることを知らずに買ってしまいました。もっとたくさんのレゾネかと思っていましたが内容も価格ガッカリ!!!