Takashi Murakami is a renowned Japanese contemporary artist who is often touted as the ‘Warhol of Japan’ Born on the 1st of February, 1962 in Tokyo, Takashi is an artist who has to a large extent change people’s perception about art He does not believe in the strict and stringent distinction of the West between high art and commercial art His work is a synthesis of fine art and pop culture wherein he incorporates the popular anime and manga cartoon style

Right from childhood, Takashi was a fan of the anime and manga comics and hoped to become an animator He enrolled in the Tokyo University of Arts to learn the necessary skills but ended up majoring in Nihonga, a term which stands for traditional Japanese painting He graduated in 1986 with a BFA and got his MFA in 1988 He would eventually go on to get a PhD in Nihonga as well, but his art was never confined to this one particular style Early on in his career, he started developing the popular pop icon ‘Mr Dob’ which often served as the artist’s self-portrait In 1994, Takashi Murakami received a fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council and moved to New York for a year His time in New York was fruitful and there he witnessed works by artists like Jeff Koons and Anselm Kiefer Once he moved back to Japan he established the Hiropon Factory, a studio which later grew into the now famous art production and artist management company called Kaikai Kiki Co Ltd

He is best known for his use of bright, bold hues to execute unique characters Through his art, the boundaries between the East and West, and high and low art, are blurred The result is technicolour imagery, loveable figures that recur frequently in his art and traditional Japanese art amalgamated with Western inspirations These works serve as an insight into the ever-evolving identity of Japan not only within the country, but on a global scale and perception

Among the many shows he has held, the most prominent are Rockefeller Center, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Museum fu¨r Moderne Kunst, Germany; Guggenheim Museum, Spain; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and Palace of Versailles, France among others