As the only visual artist who made Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list in 2008, Takashi Murakami is one of the most conspicuous and popular Japanese artists working today. He has long been a superstar in the global art world since his emergence in the early 1990s, and is often touted as “the Warhol of Japan.” He has built up a rich body of work, ranging from paintings and sculptures to huge inflatable balloons and factory-produced merchandise. His bright-colored, anime inspired style makes these pieces instantly recognizable. As a result, these works are not only well received in the public venues but also commercially successful at auction and retail markets.
Murakami was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1962. He had an early interest …show more content…
In the case of Murakami, he considers himself “as a grand chef at a three-star restaurant, and the young people working in the studio are the apprentices. (FT LUNCH)” Becker defines the artist as someone “who performs the core activity without which the work would not be art.” He is the creator (/ artist) because he not only has the idea but provides instructions for the execution. During the production process, the artist organizes regular meetings with the specialists to make sure his idea was carried out correctly (95 interview). Becker suggests, “the people with whom [the artist] cooperates may share in every particular his idea of how their work is to be done (25).” Murakami speaks about how his experienced assistants are very familiar with his style and perceive his idea really well: he says, “If I want a very colorful flower motif, they will choose the most appropriate tones from the existing samples.” (95.) It has became sort of a convention (/consensus, 24) between Murakami and his assistant, making the coordination “easy and efficient” …show more content…
Becker suggests, “dealing in contemporary work requires an entrepreneur, someone willing to take risks” (110). Koyama decided to bet on Murakami, because he left a strong first impression: “He struck me as a person who was taking in input on all fronts in life… He seemed to have that star power needed to stir up a reaction in people.” (118). Their relationship, as Koyama describes, is a sounding board for developing new ideas of artistic products. The reason why this dealer was crucial for Murakami’s career is that he had the right intuition for showing Murakami’s work abroad, because the Japanese art world had labeled Murakami as a “black sheep”: “For Murakami, it was obvious that whatever his work may have been, it wasn’t the modern art scene in Japan. He and I agreed that the only real options of introducing his work were oversea.” (119). Koyama is the type of “innovative dealer” in Becker’s definition, who “cannot wait for history to speak, [but] actively try to persuade the others whose actions will make history.” (110) He believed that it was necessary for Murakami to present himself as an artist, instead of a Japanese artist, and he says, “I set up chances for people overseas to communicate directly with him. That way, I abandoned the sense that I was representing him as his mother gallery.” Indeed, Murakami’s oversea popularity proved this strategy right.
Murakami was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1962. He had an early interest …show more content…
In the case of Murakami, he considers himself “as a grand chef at a three-star restaurant, and the young people working in the studio are the apprentices. (FT LUNCH)” Becker defines the artist as someone “who performs the core activity without which the work would not be art.” He is the creator (/ artist) because he not only has the idea but provides instructions for the execution. During the production process, the artist organizes regular meetings with the specialists to make sure his idea was carried out correctly (95 interview). Becker suggests, “the people with whom [the artist] cooperates may share in every particular his idea of how their work is to be done (25).” Murakami speaks about how his experienced assistants are very familiar with his style and perceive his idea really well: he says, “If I want a very colorful flower motif, they will choose the most appropriate tones from the existing samples.” (95.) It has became sort of a convention (/consensus, 24) between Murakami and his assistant, making the coordination “easy and efficient” …show more content…
Becker suggests, “dealing in contemporary work requires an entrepreneur, someone willing to take risks” (110). Koyama decided to bet on Murakami, because he left a strong first impression: “He struck me as a person who was taking in input on all fronts in life… He seemed to have that star power needed to stir up a reaction in people.” (118). Their relationship, as Koyama describes, is a sounding board for developing new ideas of artistic products. The reason why this dealer was crucial for Murakami’s career is that he had the right intuition for showing Murakami’s work abroad, because the Japanese art world had labeled Murakami as a “black sheep”: “For Murakami, it was obvious that whatever his work may have been, it wasn’t the modern art scene in Japan. He and I agreed that the only real options of introducing his work were oversea.” (119). Koyama is the type of “innovative dealer” in Becker’s definition, who “cannot wait for history to speak, [but] actively try to persuade the others whose actions will make history.” (110) He believed that it was necessary for Murakami to present himself as an artist, instead of a Japanese artist, and he says, “I set up chances for people overseas to communicate directly with him. That way, I abandoned the sense that I was representing him as his mother gallery.” Indeed, Murakami’s oversea popularity proved this strategy right.