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Legally Subversive: Roamcouch and the Art of Beautiful Contradiction

Art and Contradiction sum up the enigmatic Roamcouch, perhaps the best known Japanese graffiti artist (maybe second to this guy, raised in the US). Roamcouch’s 2014 premier solo show in the U.S., Beautiful Life, established his street cred and trademark style of beautiful contradiction evoked through a clash of realist scenes bounded by surreal toy-like backdrops of rainbows and stars, as in the works Rainbow Inc. and When you wish upon a star. Revolution illustrates rebellion in the hands of innocents who take aim at justifiable social ills––such as the POlice.

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Wouldn’t it be Nice if We Could Streak with the Blue Robot Cat Amongst the Flying Elephants? Murakami and the Infinite Collaboration with Fujiko F. Fujio’s Doraemon

With the number of Doraemon/Murakami collaboration prints at 37 offset editions, 26 hanga editions and counting, it’s no wonder that there is confusion about what’s what. What’s so great about Doraemon anyway? Who on earth is Murakami’s collaborator, the mysterious Fujiko F. Fujio? Why does this print retail literally for $4000 and while that other …

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That KYNE Show: Why KYNE is Murakami’s next Kingmaker Project

Recently the graffiti artist KYNE has appeared on Murakami’s radar. Kaikai Kiki’s Tonari no Zingaro has released a series of silkscreen editions to promote him, and KYNE has a Perrotin appearance in Healing, a group show curated by Murakami. Their connection stems in part from a shared love of channeling Showa era pop culture in …

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The sudden return of the Murakami mechanical print: The Field of Flowers & Flowers of Hope (2020) Archival Pigment prints and his brief brush with Xerography

“Well, I don’t know.” Anne looked thoughtful. “I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” (L.M. Montgomery, Anne of …

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It’s silkscreens all the way down—the proliferation of Murakami silkscreens (New Wave Kaikai Kiki Hanga)

Murakami has continued to defy/undermine/exceed/confound expectations with his latest run of silkscreen and handmade lithograph prints. (Both, henceforth, generally referred to as hanga, Murakami’s Japanese appellation.) There have been nearly 50 hanga editions produced since 2017—the total number of Murakami hanga over the course of 17 years had been under 90 editions! Since 2017 a …

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Murakami just released a couple of seminal silkscreen prints, A Little Flower Painting: Yellow, White, and Purple Flowers & A little Flower Painting: Pink, Purple, and Many Other Colors

The latest Murakami drop is so impressive that Sugimoto68 just had to do a hot take on it. Murakami created the unbelievably perfect and future grails A Little Flower Painting: Yellow, White, and Purple Flowers & A little Flower Painting: Pink, Purple, and Many Other Colors. Sugimoto68 gives a quick rundown on what makes this …

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It’s a Madsaki, Madsaki, Madsaki, World: Or How the Apprentice Elevated the Master of Superflat

Maybe you know him from Barnstormers, or perhaps his Please Don’t Spit on the Painting Show at Widewalls; in any event, there’s not much more I can say about Madsaki that has not been written up in Juxtapoz; and similarly on Honeyee in Japanese here (except he admits to his passionate study of art in …

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Unscrambling the Bacon: 15 years of Murakami Francis Bacon series

When my clients started pointing out errors in my Francis Bacon listings, a disambiguation article began to emerge—for my own sake! This guide will provide a brief blueprint of the Murakami Francis Bacon series of prints. 2004 Murakami Homage to Francis Bacon 2004 Murakami Homage to Francis Bacon: Study of George Dyer & Study of …

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Could Banksy have shifted the 2017 UK Snap General Election?

It’s not often when art and politics converge as in the short lived Banksy UK Election Souvenir Special, which began on June 4th and abruptly ended on June 6th in a swell of anti-election-rigging furor. Banksy offered a free limited edition artwork for voters who sent photo evidence of not voting for the Conservative candidate …

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The Murakami 727 silkscreen vs the 727 offset, what’s the difference??

Many inquisitive minds want to know, “what is the difference between the 727 silkscreen and offset prints?” A brief discussion of the various 727s appears here. This article teases out the distinctions between the 2003 727 offset and the 2016 727 silkscreen. Impressions When comparing the two prints, the contrasts in size and brightness immediately …

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It’s the writing, not the copyright, right? Dating your Murakami

A Murakami print problem that collectors do not normally perceive as a problem is the identification of the production date of a particular print. Naturally, the date of the print appears right on the print itself, right? Wrong. Major auction houses and all types of Murakami sellers often identify the incorrect production date for Murakami …

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Takashi Murakami’s eponymous signature

At some point a Murakami collector will start comparing prints and suddenly realize something strange––the signatures don’t match! Murakami’s signature evolves from a legible printed scrawl to the now ubiquitous opaque loops. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but what about Murakami’s John Hancock? With the (de)evolution of his signature you …

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What does the Murakami say? #2: Reading your Murakami Open Your Hands Wide (Versailles print) and I met a Panda family.

So you’ve opened up your new Murakami to find a pleasant surprise, Japanese characters! The text adds a nice nuance to a Murakami print; however, there will come the day when someone admiring your print suddenly asks you what the writing means! You could just make something up, but now Sugimoto68 brings an alternative–a translation …

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No Flower, No Cry – The Murakami weeping flower prints

In 2005 as I happily examined my Murakami Skulls Rock print, I noticed an interesting detail. In contrast to the ubiquitous, blissfully happy Murakami flowers, there appeared a crying flower! Apparently a great novelty at the time, but over the years the weeping flower has appeared again and again in the works of Murakami. Various …

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‘Takashi Murakami Prints’ vs ‘I Love Prints and So I Make Them’: What’s the difference?

What is red and pink and green and yellow and gold (leaf) and platinum and has ears and eyes and teeth all over? Why, the Murakami print collection, of course! Murakami has a big reputation for unleashing and moving multi-million dollar art pieces; however, he has always maintained a soft spot for prints. His fixation …

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What does the Murakami say? #1: Reading your Murakami Poka Poka Warm and Sunny!

Murakami rose to fame on the coattails of Japan pop culture, but we also know that he developed his artistic roots through the study of Nihonga 日本画 or Japanese traditional aesthetic painting. His earliest prints such as the Hokusai inspired Manji Fuji 卍富士 (2001) (pictured above) incorporated stylized Japanese characters, but he did not revisit …

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Where’s Mau Mau? Beejoir (Be sure) to meet him at Stall Baggage, Tokyo!

Souled Out Studios, a purveyor of fine graffiti editions, gave Tokyoites the pleasure of an exhibition experience featuring Mau Mau and Beejoir last night. Interesting people, colorful canvases, shiny pigs, and the live DJing of Sarasa Silverboombox contributed to the jubilant, yet easy atmosphere. I had lovely chats with both Beejoir and Mau Mau, and …

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What they don’t tell you about COAs

One of the most common questions buyers ask about a Murakami is, “Do you have a COA?” For the uninitiated, COA means, “Certificate of Authenticity”. A proper COA can potentially help authenticate a piece of art, especially an original, one-of-a-kind piece; however, most COAs do not meaningfully provide evidence for authenticity. Understandably, many buyers want …

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