On the surface, pop creations from the worlds of Anime and Manga have little to do with the regal splendor of Versailles. However, as his new retrospective at the château proves, artist Takashi Murakami's Japanese take on comic strip cool can strike up remarkably easy conversation with a 17th century setting.
Murakami's show follows American artist Jeff Koon's acclaimed exhibition at Versailles in 2008. As well as featuring 22 of his major works, dotted around the chateau and its gardens are 11 new pieces created especially for the exhibition.
With his Superflat style - characterized by flat planes of colour and strong graphics - these oversized, surrealist sculptures draw on the fantasy of the setting, assembled with typical Japanese precision.
'It is likely that the Versailles of my imagination is one that my mind has exaggerated and transformed until it has become a kind of surreal world of its own,' says Murakami. 'It is this that I have tried to capture in this exhibition.'
The decision to show contemporary artworks at this national site may have been a controversial one, but by harnessing his own impression of Versailles, Murakami's work reflects and plays with its surrounds with surprising fluidity - helped by its glossy surfaces and abundance of ornamentation.
Portrait of Takashi Murakami by Kenji Yagi
'Tongari-Kun' by Takashi Murakami, 2003-2004. Photo by Florian Kleinefenn, courtesy of Château de Versailles, Salon de l'Abondance and Kaikai Kiki Co.
'Flower Matango(d)' by Takashi Murakami, 2001-2006. Photo by Florian Kleinefenn, courtesy of Château de Versailles, Salon de l'Abondance and Kaikai Kiki Co.
ADDRESS
Château de Versailles
Spectacles Pavillon des Roulettes
Grille du Dragon
78000 Versailles
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA taste of the dolce vita in London, some permanent artwork and a new eyeshadow palette – it's our editors' picks of the week
-
Daniel Arsham’s new monograph collates the works of the auto-obsessed American artist‘Arsham Motorsport’ is two volumes of inspiration, process and work, charting artist Daniel Arsham’s oeuvre inspired by the icons and forms of the automotive industry
-
Hollywood Forever's new ‘vertical mausoleum’ is the tallest in the USThe Gower Mausoleum is not only an innovative solution for housing the deceased in a crowded urban centre; it is also reframing the way that we view cemeteries
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekIt's been a busy start to the year for the Wallpaper* team. Heres their pick of the week across fashion, food and film
-
Takashi Murakami on his monsterizing San Francisco showTakashi Murakami tells us of pandemic-inspired creatures, eye-popping flowers, and NFTs as he explains the making of his exhibition at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco
-
Takashi Murakami and Ryan Murphy headline Wallpaper* November 2023In the Wallpaper* November 2023 Art Special, discover Takashi Murakami’s pandemic-inspired creatures, producer Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood HQ, 20 years of Frieze and more, on newsstands today
-
Pharrell Williams’ third Joopiter auction is an eclectic and cultural mish-mashPharrell Williams’ ‘Just Phriends’ Joopiter auction is curated by Sarah Andelman; bidding opens 19 June 2023
-
Takashi Murakami’s Dubai debut pops with colour, nostalgia and darker undertonesNadine Khalil interviews Takashi Murakami ahead of his first exhibition in the UAE, at Perrotin’s ICD Brookfield pop-up space, as the gallery also launches its first permanent Middle Eastern outpost
-
Takashi Murakami goes for gold in immersive Hong Kong showFrom monumental sculptures to floral fantasies, step into the Japanese art star’s hypersaturated universe at Tai Kwun Contemporary
-
Birthday buzz and secret messages at Takashi Murakami retrospective -
Man at work: rigour, neurochemicals and 24/7 assistants at Takashi Murakami’s studio
