Takashi Murakami Quotes on Art

Takashi Murakami is a famous Japanese painter, sculptor and commercial artist. He is best known for his colorful anime inspired works that blur the lines between commercial work and fine art. Famous Takashi Murakami works include “Hiropon”, “My Lonesome Cowboy”, “Eye Love Superflat”, “Cosmos Ball” and “Mr. Dob”.

Mini biography: Born Takashi Murakami (村上 隆) on the 1st of February, 1962 in Itabashi City, Tokyo, Japan. Murakami has worked with businesses like Louis Vuitton and celebrities like Kanye West in various commercial collaborations. He produces works at his Hiropon Factory, now called Kaikai Kiki with a team of assistants and artists. In 2008 his 1998 work titled My Lonesome Cowboy sold for $15.2 million USD at a Sotheby’s auction.

List of Takashi Murakami Art Quotes

Computers have been the most powerful partner for me in that they enable efficient division of labor. Without computers, it would be impossible to produce my artworks. Takashi Murakami

I know myself and my ability, and I know that I don’t have any genius. I can only go at this strategically and look at how the game is being played. Takashi Murakami

I was surprised by the overwhelming new rules of the NFT art community and thought that if I were to participate in NFT art, perhaps I could build a bridge between the grammar of the old-era art and that of the new era. Takashi Murakami

When I’m inspired to create, it’s not any profound process. It’s more like I have an antenna and pick up something—a word or image—and do a little memo, scribble, or sketch. Takashi Murakami

My desire is always to become a machine that produces artwork. A machine needs to be tuned and maintained, and it requires technical innovations. Takashi Murakami

Duchamp was responsible for bringing humor, in every sense of the word, into art. I aspire to maintain a sense of humor like he did. Takashi Murakami

I was so surprised that Beeple’s NFT art fetched the price of $69.35 million at auction, because up to then, the highest auction prices for living artists were set by the works of such artists as Jeff Koons, who’d had a long career and well-kneaded market strategies. Takashi Murakami

Around age 37 or 38, I started making money and paying everyone. Then I received a letter from the tax office, and an attorney told me I had to form a company and properly pay employee salaries and the taxes on them. So to keep working with a lot of people, I had to build this system. Takashi Murakami

Repetition is the biggest lesson I learned from the popularity of techno music in the ’90s. I learned that it is bliss for the listener when the same melody is repeated in shifting variations. For a creator, it is also an amazing survival technique that helps you avoid slumps. Takashi Murakami

Some people desire such changes, some people don’t. I think still-life paintings symbolize the spirit of those who do not desire change. Takashi Murakami

I entered the contemporary art world fascinated by the New York art scene of the ‘80s. Today, I continue to work in that world, but I still can’t believe that my dream has come true and that I am being allowed to work in that dream. Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami Self Portrait

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Related or similar artists and celebrities include: Ron English ||| Andy Warhol ||| Yayoi Kusama ||| Jeff Koons and Famous Japanese Artists.