MARK GROTJAHN & TAKASHI MURAKAMI

MARK GROTJAHN
Mark Grotjahn (b. 1968) in Pasadena, California. He received an M.F.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.F.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Grotjahn's work is featured in museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Des Moines Art Center, Iowa; Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Rubell Family Collection, Miami; François Pinault Collection, Venice; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London; de la Cruz Collection Contemporary Art Space, Miami; Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.

TAKASHI MURAKAMI
Takashi Murakami (b. 1962) is a Japanese artist known for blurring the boundary between fine and commercial art. Often categorized alongside historic and contemporary artists working in the tradition of Pop Art, such as Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, Murakami's work has achieved a widespread level of fame beyond the art world. His innovative “Superflat” aesthetic—combining classical Japanese art with contemporary Japanese pop culture—has led many to consider him one of the most innovative artists working today. He has maintained a multifaceted career as an artist, curator, collector, film director, and the founder of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.  Exploring the links between traditional printmaking techniques and Japanese manga in postwar society, Murakami’s art acts as a cultural barometer with subversive undertones and imagery. “My aesthetic sense was formed at a young age by what surrounded me: the narrow residential spaces of Japan and the mental escapes from those spaces that took the forms of manga and anime,” he reflected. With his popular collaboration with the fashion label Louis Vuitton, Murakami has established himself as a pioneer of promoting art as a brand. The artist’s work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions around the world, include those held at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Gagosian Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the Versailles Palace.