Superflat

"Murakami's big idea was to see postwar anime and manga as the progeny of the 17th and 18th century Edo era's two-dimensional artistic techniques. He merged those flat patterns with modern decoration to create a specifically Japanese postmodern aesthetic.
"The resulting canon--with gravity-defying sculptures of bazooka-breasted women, cuddly figurines, abstract paintings of mushrooms, digital animation and, oh yes, his famous Louis Vuitton accessories--has become highly coveted by contemporary art collectors and speculators. The Murakami brand now commands some of the highest of those unearthly prices being fetched in the frenzied bazaar that is the contemporary art market."

Bruce Wallace in the Los Angeles Times considers Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, whose retrospective at MOCA is the first art exhibit attended by Late Adopter, Jr.

In Slate, Mia Fineman presents a Murakami slideshow.