TAKASHI MURAKAMI (Tokyo, 1962). "Flowers, multiverse. 2023. Silkscreen, copy 111/300. Signed and justified. Measurements: 71 cm. diameter. Takashi Murakami's floral compositions are now iconic in the contemporary art world. Inspired simultaneously by elements of traditional Japanese art and Western pop culture, they immerse us in vibrant and playful parallel universes ("mutliverses"). One of the most influential artists of the Japanese post-war generation, Takashi Murakami trained at the National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo, where he graduated with a degree in Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting). In 1990 he was introduced to contemporary art by his partner and friend Masato Nakamura, and in 1993 he created his alter ego Mr. DOB. He then began to be recognised both inside and outside Japan for his particular synthesis of traditional Japanese art, the contemporary trends of his country (anime, manga, etc.) and American culture, mainly pop culture. In his work, Murakami conveys a critical vision of current Japanese society, the legacy of the country's cultural tradition, its evolution after the Second World War and its relationship with the Western world, especially with the United States. His trilogy of exhibitions "Superflat" (2000, 2002 and 2005) has been shown in major art centres around the world, such as the Parco Gallery in Tokyo, MOCA in Los Angeles, the Fondation Cartier in Paris and the Serpentine Gallery in London. Between 2008 and 2009 he was also the subject of retrospective exhibitions at MOCA, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt and the Guggenheim in Bilbao. Murakami is currently represented in leading museums around the world, including MoMA in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and many others.