Takashi Murakami, a versatile artist who works in sculpture, painting, engraving, installation… He is called "the Japanese Andy Warhol ", a most simplistic nickname, which still explains his art a bit. Because Takashi Murakami art is pure Pop. It is based on popular culture and uses it as a tool. His typical characters are today a pop icon in their own right.

Takashi Murakami was born and raised in Tokyo in the 1960s. His goal was to get to work in animation or manga and therefore he studied at the Tokyo University of the Art, specializing in Nihonga, the traditional style of Japanese painting.

With tradition in mind, he became interested in more contemporary styles. A trip to New York made him drink in influences from American art. Thus he began to create an art of Japanese essence but with enormous and evident Western influences.

He also began to focus on popular culture, that "low culture" versus "high-level art", such as otaku (anime and manga). Thus the Superflat was born.

The Super flat is a postmodern art movement that provides an "outside" interpretation of Japanese popular culture through the eyes of the otaku subculture.

Murakami begins to show a critical look at consumerism and sexual fetishism (which prevailed after the westernization of postwar Japanese culture), capitalist neurosis, repetition, distortion...

Murakami creates his characters such as Mr. Dob, a kind of self-portrait, the repeated flowers that fill the entire surface, Buddhist images, or hypersexualized drawings.

Murakami's first and most celebrated character, Mr. DOB, was revealed in 1992. The mouse-like mascot appears throughout his work in many different styles and colors but is always recognizable by its giant eyes, grinning face, and two ears. The left ear is inscribed with the letter "D," and the right features the letter "B."

Mr. DOB's name derives from the Japanese phrase "dobojite" or "why?" This question reflects Murakami's puzzling view of consumer society. The artist revealed that he came up with the design for Mr. DOB after researching the worldwide appeal of famous characters such as Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. "I set out to investigate the secret of market survivability," he explains, "the universality of characters such as Mickey Mouse, Sonic the Hedgehog, Doraemon, Miffy, Hello Kitty, and their knock-offs, produced in Hong Kong."

Other than Mr. DOB, Murakami has another iconic character: the flower ball. With 12 rounded petals and a happy face, the artist's colorful flora is celebrated for its display of playful joy and innocence. Murakami's fascination with flowers first began during the 1980s when he worked as a school teacher. As an artistic exercise, he would buy fresh blooms for his students to draw. He repeated this lesson almost daily for nine years, and over time he became fascinated by the many types of blooms and the "personalities" they have. Murakami's flowers are now his most recognizable motif and have been featured in countless artworks and on products.

In 2002, Marc Jacobs—who at the time was the head designer of Louis Vuitton—invited Murakami to redesign the brand's 2003 spring/summer accessory collection. Murakami broke down the trademark LV all-over logo print and recreated it with a colorful kawaii twist.

Murakami's Louis Vuitton designs laid the foundation for what resulted in a 13-year partnership, and his bags became a global sensation. The radical artist then began directly incorporating the Louis Vuitton motifs and patterns into his paintings and sculptures. "Japanese people accept that art and commerce will be blended; and in fact, they are surprised by the rigid and pretentious Western hierarchy of 'high art,'" Murakami remarks. "In the West, it certainly is dangerous to blend the two because people will throw all sorts of stones. But that's okay—I'm ready with my hard hat."

This isn't Murakami's only brush with the fashion industry. He has also collaborated with other well-known brands, including UNIQLO, Supreme, and Vans, to create colorful collections featuring his iconic art.