Editor’s Note
Louis Vuitton spotlights the iconic work of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami with a special exhibition at Art Basel Hong Kong, offering a focused exploration of his imaginative and innovative artistic vision.
Louis Vuitton presents a curated presentation focusing on the works of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at Art Basel Hong Kong. This exhibition, specially curated for the event, celebrates and explores his supremely imaginative and innovative aesthetic vision.
Takashi Murakami uniquely blends traditional painting techniques, anime, science fiction, and pop culture. His multidisciplinary practice has been internationally acclaimed since the 1990s, with his sculptures, paintings, video works, and related products exhibited in major galleries and museums worldwide, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; and Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong. His works are also part of the collections of many prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Born in Tokyo in the 1960s, Murakami studied Japanese painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. His two-dimensional perspective is reflected in his “Superflat” theory, which he formulated in 2000, blurring the boundaries between “high art” and “low art,” flattening distinctions between commercial and conceptual works, and even between Japanese and Western aesthetics. Since then, Murakami has expressed his proposed “Superflat” concept through iconic motifs that recur in his work—such as flowers, eyes, and mushrooms—and through captivating, thought-provoking characters like “DOB” (1993), the first original character in contemporary art, and “Kaikai & Kiki,” whose names evoke yōkai-like beings.
The works by Takashi Murakami curated for Art Basel Hong Kong are displayed against a backdrop of acid-green fabric within a vibrant booth modeled after a giant metallic Louis Vuitton trunk. Visitors enter the booth between a pair of large sculptures, “Zōchō-kun” and “Tamonten-kun” (2003), to find the enigmatic “Superflat Jellyfish eyes 1” (2003) further inside. All are works from the collection presented at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2018. The journey of artistic discovery continues with several other notable works carefully selected from Murakami’s bold oeuvre of sculptures, prints, and textiles, leading to video works screened in a “secret” preview room within the booth. Works created by him as part of his long-standing collaboration with Louis Vuitton are also on display.
Also on display are the Monogram Multicolor “Marilyn Trunk” (2003), a masterpiece from Louis Vuitton’s Heritage collection, large-scale canvas works and the iconic “Keepall” bag featuring the Monogramouflage pattern (2008), which fuses camouflage with the House’s Monogram canvas.
Louis Vuitton’s participation in Art Basel Hong Kong demonstrates the Maison’s deep commitment to art, which traces its origins to Gaston-Louis Vuitton, grandson of the founder, who commissioned collaborations with artists of his time about a century ago. Upholding this tradition since 1988, Louis Vuitton has collaborated with leading figures in contemporary art and design, including Sol LeWitt, James Rosenquist, César, and Olafur Eliasson. The Espaces Louis Vuitton, contemporary art spaces attached to stores worldwide, have also curated exhibitions of works by artists such as Sophie Calle, Dan Flavin, Alberto Giacometti, and Gerhard Richter. The Maison has globally launched other innovative and large-scale art projects, including the 2022 collaboration with Yayoi Kusama.
The Fondation Louis Vuitton, which opened in Paris in October 2014, embodies the commitment of the LVMH Group, and Louis Vuitton in particular, to contribute to society by supporting artistic and creative endeavors. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the building is already widely recognized as an emblem of 21st-century architecture and has welcomed over 10 million visitors from around the world.
Louis Vuitton is exhibiting at Art Basel Hong Kong, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China) from Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30, 2025.