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Installation view, Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People—Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, September 15, 2023–February 12, 2024. Artwork © 2023 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Josh White

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Takashi Murakami
Unfamiliar People—Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego

September 15, 2023–February 12, 2024
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
exhibitions.asianart.org

In this exhibition of work by Takashi Murakami the artist uses monsters as a central motif to address the complicated nature of the world around us. The show includes large-scale paintings and sculptures and several newly created works that respond to the impact of the global pandemic and a shift toward virtual interaction. Paintings of distorted figures reflect the swelling egos of individuals relentlessly promoting themselves on social media, while works recording the artist’s creation of NFTs, including avatars, look with optimism toward a digitally liberated future.

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People—Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, September 15, 2023–February 12, 2024. Artwork © 2023 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Josh White

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: MurakamiZombie, Busan Museum of Art, South Korea, January 26–April 16, 2023. Artwork © 2023 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Josh White

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Takashi Murakami
MurakamiZombie

January 26–April 16, 2023
Busan Museum of Art, South Korea
art.busan.go.kr

This large-scale retrospective features paintings, sculptures, installations, and video art by Takashi Murakami, including some of the artist’s earliest pieces which have never before been shown publicly. This is the fourth exhibition in the series Lee Ufan and His Friends, in which international artists respond to Ufan’s practice. The works on view deploys a “zombie aesthetic” emblematic of the collective anxiety of the contemporary world and increasingly prevalent throughout pop culture. 

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: MurakamiZombie, Busan Museum of Art, South Korea, January 26–April 16, 2023. Artwork © 2023 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Josh White

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, The Broad, Los Angeles, May 21–September 25, 2022. Artwork © 2022 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Joshua White

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Takashi Murakami
Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow

May 21–September 25, 2022
The Broad, Los Angeles
www.thebroad.org

This exhibition, which includes all of Takashi Murakami’s works in the Broad collection as well as key loans, features eighteen works created throughout his career and new immersive environments developed in tandem with the artist and his studio, Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. In these works, spanning sculpture, painting, wallpaper, and immersive installations, the artist explores subject matter such as globalization, postwar Japan, pop culture, and religious iconography.

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow, The Broad, Los Angeles, May 21–September 25, 2022. Artwork © 2022 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Joshua White

Jennifer Guidi, Seeking Hearts (Black MT, Pink Sand, Pink CS, Pink Ground), 2021 © Jennifer Guidi. Photo: Brica Wilcox

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Artists Inspired by Music
Interscope Reimagined

January 30–February 13, 2022
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
www.lacma.org

To mark the thirtieth anniversary of Interscope Records, the company invited artists to select albums and songs from Interscope’s groundbreaking catalogue and fostered exchanges between artists and musicians to generate resonant pairings. The exhibition, which includes more than fifty works, brings an intergenerational group of visual artists into dialogue with iconic musicians from the last three decades, providing a fresh perspective on influential music for the present moment. Work by John Currin, Jennifer Guidi, Damien Hirst, Titus Kaphar, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, and Anna Weyant is included.

Jennifer Guidi, Seeking Hearts (Black MT, Pink Sand, Pink CS, Pink Ground), 2021 © Jennifer Guidi. Photo: Brica Wilcox

Takashi Murakami, Miss Ko², 1996–2011 © 2011 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

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Takashi Murakami in
Stars: Six Contemporary Artists from Japan to the World

July 31, 2020–January 3, 2021
Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
www.mori.art.museum

Presenting six artists whose careers propelled them beyond the confines of Japan, earning them acclaim around the world, this exhibition traces their journeys, from their earliest to latest works, and explores how each artist’s practice has been evaluated within the global context. Work by Takashi Murakami is included.

Takashi Murakami, Miss Ko², 1996–2011 © 2011 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

Takashi Murakami, Open Your Hands Wide, Embrace Happiness!, 2010 © 2010 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

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Happy!

October 27, 2019–July 5, 2020
NSU Art Museum, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
nsuartmuseum.org

Happy! presents contemporary works produced by artists who aim to engage the viewer emotionally. In their works, as in life, sorrow and happiness are intertwined. The exhibition follows a multigenerational trajectory from the mid-twentieth century to today. Work by Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, and Andy Warhol is included.

Takashi Murakami, Open Your Hands Wide, Embrace Happiness!, 2010 © 2010 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

Takashi Murakami, Tan Tan Bo, 2001 © 2001 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

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Murakami por Murakami

December 4, 2019–March 15, 2020
Instituto Tomie Ohtake, São Paulo
www.institutotomieohtake.org.br

This exhibition, which is a regrouping of Murakami by Murakami, previously on view at the Astrup Fearnley Museet in Oslo, focuses on Takashi Murakami’s renowned artworks, but also presents aspects of his activities as a collector, gallerist, businessperson, and activist. In the past twenty years, the artist has been extremely visible on the international art scene, but he has also taken an active role within the Japanese art world, redefining the position of the artist in society.

Takashi Murakami, Tan Tan Bo, 2001 © 2001 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

Installation view, Japan Supernatural, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, November 2, 2019–March 8, 2020. Artwork © 2020 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

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Takashi Murakami in
Japan Supernatural

November 2, 2019–March 8, 2020
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

This exhibition features large-scale installations and classic Japanese cinema and animation alongside miniature carvings, humorous paintings, and the vibrant ukiyo-e woodblock prints that define the tradition of the supernatural in Japanese art. Centered on a monumental installation of painting and sculpture by Takashi Murakami, the show also explores Japanese artists of the past, including Katsushika Hokusai, as well as contemporary artists.

Installation view, Japan Supernatural, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia, November 2, 2019–March 8, 2020. Artwork © 2020 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

Jeff Koons, Gazing Ball (da Vinci Mona Lisa), 2016, Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation © Jeff Koons

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POP Power from Warhol to Koons
Masterworks from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

September 28, 2019–March 8, 2020
Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia
www.taubmanmuseum.org

POP Power celebrates a perennial movement that revels in the new and the now, the celebrity and the commodity, and art made accessible for the masses. Work by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, and Andy Warhol is included.

Jeff Koons, Gazing Ball (da Vinci Mona Lisa), 2016, Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation © Jeff Koons

Installation view, Murakami vs Murakami, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong, June 1–September 1, 2019. Artwork © 2019 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli

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Murakami vs Murakami

June 1–September 1, 2019
Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong
www.taikwun.hk

This comprehensive survey features more than sixty paintings and sculptures in an immersive setting that showcases the intriguing paradoxes embodied in the diverse work and life of Takashi Murakami.

Installation view, Murakami vs Murakami, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong, June 1–September 1, 2019. Artwork © 2019 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli

Takashi Murakami, Klein’s Pot A, 1994–97 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida

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Takashi Murakami
The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

June 10–September 16, 2018
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas
www.themodern.org

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth will present a major retrospective of Takashi Murakami’s paintings, featuring fifty works that span three decades of his career, from the artist’s earliest mature works to his recent, monumentally scaled paintings. This exhibition originated at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and traveled from the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Takashi Murakami, Klein’s Pot A, 1994–97 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida

Takashi Murakami, a.k.a Gero Tan: Noah’s Ark, 2016 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

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In Tune with the World

April 11–August 27, 2018
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr

In Tune with the World aims to reflect on today’s questions about one’s place in the universe and the bonds that tie humans to their surrounding environment. The exhibition highlights the interconnections between humans, animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. Work by Alberto Giacometti, Yves Klein, and Takashi Murakami is included.

Takashi Murakami, a.k.a Gero Tan: Noah’s Ark, 2016 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved

Robert Therrien, No title (table leg), 2010 © Robert Therrien/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Peter Cox

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No Place Like Home

March 1–June 3, 2018
Museu Coleção Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal
en.museuberardo.pt

In celebration of Dada’s one hundredth anniversary in 2016 and the centennial of Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain in 2017, this exhibition examines how artists have incorporated commonplace household items into their work, removing these objects from the context of the home in ways that subvert the experiences of daily life. This exhibit has traveled from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Work by Duchamp, Duane Hanson, Damien Hirst, Man Ray, Takashi Murakami, Nam June Paik, Robert Therrien, and Andy Warhol is included.

Robert Therrien, No title (table leg), 2010 © Robert Therrien/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Peter Cox

Takashi Murakami, Kansei Gold, 2008 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Joshua White/JWPictures.com, courtesy the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

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Takashi Murakami
The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

February 3–May 6, 2018
Vancouver Art Gallery, Canada
www.vanartgallery.bc.ca

The Vancouver Art Gallery presents a major retrospective of Takashi Murakami’s paintings, featuring fifty works that span three decades of his career, from the artist’s earliest mature works to his recent, monumentally scaled paintings. This exhibition has traveled from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

Takashi Murakami, Kansei Gold, 2008 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Joshua White/JWPictures.com, courtesy the artist and Blum & Poe, Los Angeles/New York/Tokyo

Takashi Murakami, Dragon in Clouds—Red Mutation: The version I painted myself in annoyance after Professor Nobuo Tsuji told me, “Why don’t you paint something yourself once,” 2010 (detail) © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

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Takashi Murakami
Lineage of Eccentrics

October 18, 2017–April 1, 2018
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
www.mfa.org

This exhibition, a collaboration with Japanese art history professor Nobuo Tsuji and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, juxtaposes contemporary works by Takashi Murakami and Japanese art from the MFA’s collection.

Takashi Murakami, Dragon in Clouds—Red Mutation: The version I painted myself in annoyance after Professor Nobuo Tsuji told me, “Why don’t you paint something yourself once,” 2010 (detail) © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Jeff Koons, Rabbit, 1986 © Jeff Koons.Photo by Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago

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We Are Here

August 19, 2017–April 1, 2018
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
mcachicago.org

In honor of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s fiftieth anniversary, the museum presents We Are Here, a three-part exhibition drawn from its collection. I Am You gathers works that question how we relate to and shape our environments; You Are Here examines how the role of the viewer has changed over time; and We Are Everywhere showcases artists who borrow from popular culture. Work by Richard Artschwager, Francis Bacon, Chris Burden, Ellen Gallagher, Andreas Gursky, Michael Heizer, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, Bruce Nauman, Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman, Rudolf Stingel, Andy Warhol, and Franz West is included.

Jeff Koons, Rabbit, 1986 © Jeff Koons.
Photo by Nathan Keay © MCA Chicago

Takashi Murakami, Memories of a Passionate Life, 2015 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

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Takashi Murakami
Under the Radiation Falls

September 29, 2017–February 4, 2018
Garage Museum, Moscow
garagemca.org

This exhibition spans several periods of the artist’s career, from the 1990s until now. It consists of five sections that each explore a particular phenomenon in Japanese culture that has been formally or semantically examined by Murakami. Presenting paintings, drawings, and films from private and public collections, the exhibition also features eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Japanese engravings and paintings from Russian museums. This is the first major survey of the artist’s oeuvre in Russia.

Takashi Murakami, Memories of a Passionate Life, 2015 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: The Deep End of the Universe, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, November 4, 2017–January 28, 2018 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger, courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

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Takashi Murakami
The Deep End of the Universe

November 4, 2017–January 28, 2018
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
www.albrightknox.org

This monumental exhibition includes thirty-two paintings and a five-panel painting and exemplifies Takashi Murakami’s signature mix of traditional aesthetics and Japanese pop culture. The works, which are being debuted together for the first time, envelop the viewer in parallel arenas of riotous color and fields of gold.

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: The Deep End of the Universe, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, November 4, 2017–January 28, 2018 © 2018 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Photo: Tom Loonan and Brenda Bieger, courtesy Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, 2017 © 2017 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 

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Takashi Murakami
The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg

June 6–September 24, 2017
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
mcachicago.org

The MCA presents a major retrospective of Takashi Murakami’s paintings, featuring fifty works that span three decades of his career, from the artist’s earliest mature works—many of which are being shown in North America for the first time—to his recent, monumentally scaled paintings.

Installation view, Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg, 2017 © 2017 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 

Installation view, Unpacking: The Marciano Collection, Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles, May 25–September 16, 2017. Artwork, left to right: © Albert Oehlen, © Christopher Wool

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Unpacking
The Marciano Collection

May 25–September 16, 2017
Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles
marcianoartfoundation.org

Unpacking: The Marciano Collection is the debut presentation of the collection’s holdings organized by Philipp Kaiser. The title and theme of the show are derived from Walter Benjamin’s essay “Unpacking My Library,” in which he discusses the chaotic potentiality inherent in unpacking and recontextualizing one’s collection. Work by Mark Grotjahn, Jennifer Guidi, Thomas Houseago, Alex Israel, Takashi Murakami, Albert Oehlen, Sterling Ruby, Cindy Sherman, Franz West, Jonas Wood, and Christopher Wool is included.

Installation view, Unpacking: The Marciano Collection, Marciano Art Foundation, Los Angeles, May 25–September 16, 2017. Artwork, left to right: © Albert Oehlen, © Christopher Wool