Takashi Murakami is a genius. Not only that, his career, in every conceivable definition, is totally on fire right now. Genius and mega-popularity outside the art world don’t always run hand in hand, but Murakami is hitting all the right touchpoints with demographics that might not normally be exposed to his work.
Newly introduced to a whole new world of fans through his work with Kanye West and Louis Vuitton, and recently celebrated by fans new and old at his recent MOCA exhibit and his current solo show at Blum & Poe in LA, Murakami is universally hailed and loved to death by art critics and hipsters and everyone in between. He can pretty much do no wrong.
And when you can do no wrong, your life-sized sculpture of a bright-eyed anime manga-boy jerking off and whipping his jizz into a gigantic lasso around his head will sell at auction for $13.5 million US. Two nights ago at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening, “My Lonesome Cowboy”, estimated to go for $3-$4 million, surpassed expectations and ended up with a $13.5 million closing bid. Add in the 11% house commission and you’ve got yourself a world-famous Murakami for a cool $15.161 million. The only question that remains… where to put it?
Not like you needed further proof, but Murakami proved just how rad he is again during his MOCA exhibition in LA. When a huge Murakami billboard on Melrose Avenue was elaborately painted on by artists Auger/Revok, it was soon taken down. But not for the negative reasons you might think. Murakami himself had seen pics of the billboard online and loved it so much he wanted it for his own personal collection. And when you’re Murakami, that means the billboard gets dismantled and shipped to you…in Japan. Awesome.
Via NOTCOT
shape+colour 
it’s cool and provocative. The artist ought to give 2/3 of his profit to Micheal Heizer to help with the completion of “CITY” if he want’s to contribute to a serious legacy. if people fail to communicate the value of “MY LONESOME COWBOY” it could accidentally end up in a landfill at some point. Tom
Genius! Cheap at any price. Much better than those Keane paintings of yore. And it kinda reminds me of the uncensored San Rio items that were only available if you knew someone who knew someone in the Tokyo underground. And those pretty little items were big bux relatively speaking. Yens to the 10th power.
Murakami has brought a certain element of the Glory that is Japan into the mainstream. And for that he will always be one of the art world’s heroes.
This is funny because this cowboy went for $13,5 million!
Just loved it!
fuckin’ awesome
amazing
loved the expression of the face
awesome
i’m shocked
ART? Maybe Not – More likely forgotten in a month
Perhaps the author of the article is the artists lover?
is that some kinda mayo dispenser or something? i sure wish i could fling my mayo like the zippers do.
I wish each one of my sperm were worth a dollar 😦
Art????? That’s not fucking Art!!! I know Art, he looks nothing like that!!
Perhaps it’s Folk Art, F-ART for short!
“Rad”, my ass. Try sophomoric and boring.
i know where to put it, in a fucking dumpster thats where
Dang. How big is that thing? The second photo makes the “boy” part look about the same size as his spectator — that “lasso” must be 7 or 8 feet high!
This makes me horny and repulsed at the same time. This piece makes me question my personal definition of art, all the while making me wonder who the hell can do this in real life — and how do I contact them.
I love the $15,000,000. All of those zeros! Wow! Who can I sculpt?
Did not know art like this existed..
unbelievable! its fantastic. have you seen the new SNL video “jizz in my pants” ?
Now I know what they’re talking about when they say things like, “spiritual pressure” on Bleach. All Murakami has done is decode the subtext found in many manga & anime.
Oh my God.
This is clearly the most ridiculous thing I ever saw… and the fact that it was sold for millions just makes me think the world is going to hell in a hand basket full of jizz.
I love that sculpture. Apparently it’s hilarious to watch people walk around the corner and realize what all those “ribbon” paintings are actually about.