Why is the Characters collection important?

Characters is a diverse collection that captures the essence of Murakami’s artist style, characterised by an emphasis on bright colours, the incorporation of motifs from Japanese traditional and popular culture, and the privileging of flat or glossy surfaces over depth and texture.

How do I buy a Characters print?

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How can I sell my Characters print?

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Characters by Takashi Murakami Background & Meaning

Meaning & Analysis

Characters is a collection of lithograph prints produced by the acclaimed Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. The works, all of which come in an edition size of 300, were made in the 2000s, meaning this collection charts Murakami’s rise to fame and international recognition in the art world.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Murakami was a fan of anime and manga (Japanese cartoons and comics) and his love for these cartoons shines through in his artistic style. Despite this strong interest, the artist studied ‘nihonga’, the traditionalist Japanese painting style, at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. Not only did Murakami complete his BA there, he also went on to do a Master’s and PhD, specialising in the traditional art form. Murakami gradually became disillusioned with the insular and highly political art world, which led to his experimentation with more contemporary artistic styles.

Murakami’s innovative aesthetic combines skills he developed from his classical training in Japanese art with elements of contemporary Japanese pop culture and this combination is a key feature of what Murakami calls his ‘superflat’ style. Murakami created this term in 2000 when he published his theory regarding Japanese popular culture. Murakami argued that there is a legacy of flat, two-dimensional imagery from Japanese art history in manga and anime. The artist contrasts this style with the way Western art is concerned with emphasising depth and texture. As well as being used to describe the aesthetics of artworks, the term is also used by Murakami to address the nature of post-war Japanese culture and society and the diminished distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture which has led to the flattening of differences in social classes and taste. Taking popular cartoon characters as the inspiration for his prints, as is seen in the Characters collection, Murakami elevates these symbols of popular culture to the realm of fine art, flattening the distinction between the two.

Characters is a diverse collection that captures the essence of Murakami’s artist style, characterised by an emphasis on bright colours, the incorporation of motifs from Japanese traditional and popular culture, and the privileging of flat or glossy surfaces over depth and texture.
The prints in this collection all feature Murakami’s iconic cartoon characters. These endearing characters are notable due to their wide and round eyes, big grins and psychedelic appearances. Murakami’s adorable characters which reappear throughout the prints in this collection are inspired by Japan’s ‘kawaii’ culture, which is based on an aesthetic of cuteness, and the ‘otaku’ subculture which is rooted in popular culture and deeply influenced by anime, manga and computer technology. As well as his loveable cartoon characters, these artworks also feature Murakami’s signature colourful smiling flowers and mushrooms. These recurring motifs have become a trademark feature of Murakami’s prints and mean his artworks are instantly recognisable. While the characters and motifs Murakami incorporates into his prints in this collection are clearly derived from Japanese cartoons, the colour palette he uses, favouring bold and vibrant colours, is reminiscent of the prints produced in the 1960s by American Pop artists, such as Andy Warhol. Parallels have been drawn between Murakami and Warhol, with the artist being called ‘the Andy Warhol of Japan’. Like Warhol, Murakami was fascinated with popular culture and sought to blur the boundaries between what was considered ‘high’ art and ‘low’ culture. In addition to this, Murakami also successfully fused artistic practices from the East and West, adopting Western fine art techniques while maintaining a deep Japanese influence.
If you're looking to sell art by Takashi Murakami, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.