Art/Design, News & Events

Sotheby’s London auctions off works by Takashi Murakami and many more

words by: Sahar Khraibani
Oct 11, 2020

Sotheby’s just launched its first of a kind auction that is solely dedicated to contemporary Japanese artists, photography, and prints. The auction, conveniently titled “From Japan with Love,” includes pieces by Takashi Murakami , KAWS, Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara, Daniel Arsham, and many more iconic artists.

The major sale includes a total of 73 pieces that are scheduled to go on view at Sotheby’s London for three days only on October 10, 11, and 12. The sale will be also available at an online auction until October 13.

 

Takashi Murakami is leading this sale with a series of prints with his signature cast of characters such as Mr. DOB and his ever so famous flower motifs. In a statement, Sotheby’s declared: “often coined Japan’s Warhol […] his work embraces and encourages contradictions, thriving on disruptions of logic. The cultural paradoxes within Murakami’s oeuvre trace back to the US occupation in Japan after World War II when the merging of Eastern and Western culture dramatically changed the country and gave rise to consumer products and phenomena that celebrated the latter’s influence. Encapsulating anime eyes, jagged teeth, camouflage patterns, technicolour flowerballs, psychedelic mushrooms and candy colour landscapes, Murakami’s works can also be viewed as comments on the peculiarities of our global contemporary art world.”

Pieces by KAWS as well as American artist Daniel Arsham are part of this sale as they embody either Japanese aesthetics of Japan’s Kawaii culture. Head to Sotheby’s website to learn more about the “From Japan With Love” auction.

 

Photo via Sotheby’s