On Sept. 14, demonstrators showed up at the legendary Palace of Versailles to protest the opening of “Murakami: Versailles.”
A couple of groups, including one dubbed Coordination in Defense of Versailles, have asked for an “international mobilization” to remove the riotously colored and sometimes sexually explicit Japanese Pop artist’s works from the hallowed halls once walked by Marie Antoinette and the Sun King, Louis XIV. Here in the U.S., though, the artist has been invited to design a balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
So, is Murakami all hot air?
Dubbed the Japanese Warhol by the speculators who’ve bet on his rise, Mr. Murakami is often spotted at auctions watching the reception to his work. In Miami and Tokyo, he runs his own art fairs for emerging artists and is blissfully (or crassly) unapologetic about blending commercialism and art into a internationally recognized style. His collectors include Francois Pinault, Steve Cohen and Peter Norton; he has a flourishing design and licensing collaboration with Louis Vuitton. But some critics have concluded that his stylized “superflat” blend of art, pop culture and Japanese cartoon anime, much like last year’s handbag, is going out of fashion.
He’s certainly had some problems: The market downturn prompted him to cancel a planned all-Murakami auction at Sotheby’s (similar to the one Damien Hirst did in September 2008) and to trim his staff. Some prominent Murakami pieces failed to sell at auction last year.
But the Versailles show, and the reaction to it, is likely to get him worldwide attention. In the art world, all fuss is good fuss.
–Alexandra Peers
