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takashi murakami

Highlights From The Marciano Collection

by Michael Anthony Farley on July 26, 2017

The Marciano Art Foundation has been the biggest pleasant surprise of 2017. As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, the new museum, funded by the GUESS Jeans fortune, delivers big-time with site-specific special projects from Jim Shaw and Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch. Those installations are so enthusiasm-inspiring it’s almost easy to overlook the “quieter” collection itself, on display mainly in the third floor galleries.

That would be a mistake, because the collection—the bones of the Marciano Art Foundation—has been curated in such a satisfying , thoughtfully-paced manner that the viewing experience stays engaging throughout. That’s a rarity, unfortunately, in so many hangs of private collections, which tend not to have a specific focus beyond showing off their holdings. Here, though, there are narrative interests evident in the Marcianos’ collection, perhaps highlighted by the apocalyptic nature of the Jim Shaw show and the site-specific “behind-the-scenes” vibe of the Trecartin/Fitch collaboration—namely an interest in social tension or upheaval and works that reveal their process, respectively.

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Tuesday Links: Best Places to Cry in Public

by Michael Anthony Farley on June 6, 2017

Very useful: a map of all the best places to cry in public around the city. [Curbed]
Israel’s oldest art school, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, is moving into a new SANAA-designed campus in Jerusalem. [The Jerusalem Post]
A Takashi Murakami show opens today at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg is a retrospective that spans five decades of the artist’s career, but based on nearly all of the promotion and media attention, you would think the focus of this show is Murakami’s collaborations with Kanye West. Seriously, the way people talk about this makes it seem like Murakami was some obscure unknown that West “discovered” and brought to the masses, rather than an art star he hitched his brand wagon to. Ugh. [Chicago Tribune]
Strange New York story of the day: Laura Murray, a struggling SVA grad who was surviving by drawing portraits of tourists, was mugged in 2012 and drew a sketch of her attacker. The cops caught him based on her drawing, and now she’s pursuing a career as a courtroom artist. [New York Post]
Here’s a comic about the most annoying child of hippies coming to an art opening in San Francisco. [The Bold Italic]
China Guardian is opening a combination art museum/auction house in Beijing. So much for pretending museums and the market weren’t too close for comfort! The building, designed by Büro Ole Scheeren also contains a hotel. [Dezeen]
From Banksy’s ill-conceived print giveaway to Jeremy Deller’s wheatpastes, British artists are responding in all sorts of ways to the upcoming election. Basically, everyone in the art world is hoping to oust Theresa May. Poor Grayson Perry had planned a solo show opening at the Serpentine Gallery on the 8th. Now that’s election day, and his show about post-Brexit identity and division has taken on an added gravity. [artnet News]

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Wednesday Links: Art That Kills

by Paddy Johnson Michael Anthony Farley Rea McNamara on January 20, 2016

dangerous

We’re currently in the midst of Europe’s pagan ritual season, which means we’ve been gifted with photos of glorious commedia dell’arte-meets-Dίa de los Muertos costumes of people dressing up as devils or boars to honour the earth goddess or improve the crop yield. [Dangerous Minds]

Here’s an exhaustive survey of museum collections with some pretty depressing figures. It’s no surprise that the vast majority of artwork is never displayed, but it’s insane to think how much work by important or beloved artists has been hoarded into vaults, gathering dust. This chart, for example, tracks the holdings of 20 museums in 7 countries, focusing on the work of 13 major artists and it’s shocking to see how many crowd-pleasing names have been relegated to archival benchwarmer status. [Quartz]

Yikes: a recent survey by the UK’s Museums Association has found that one in five museums (roughly 18%) have had to either close a branch or reduce their exhibition space in the past year or be forced to in 2016. Given the sustained deep cuts British institutions have faced, this comes as no surprise; the survey reveals surprisingly that despite the cuts, museums have seen a 61% increase in visitors over the past years. [Artforum]

“[The Internet] encourages people to collapse any distinction between their work life, their social life, and their political life. ‘Hey, that person who tweets about the TV shows I like also dislikes injustice,’ which over time becomes ‘I can identify an ally by the TV shows they like.’ The fact that you can mine a Rihanna video for political content becomes, in that vague internety way, the sense that people who don’t see political content in Rihanna’s music aren’t on your side.” An essay on the ways the internet molds our politics. I agree with about 60% of the author’s thinking. [Medium]

In anticipation of Takashi Murakami’s personal art collection being shown at the Yokohama Museum of Art, comes the expected preview coverage to pique your curiosities (if you have any): he collects a lot of traditional Edo period Japanese art, antique store finds (old beer mugs was mentioned) and fellow blue chip artists like Anselm Kiefer, Maurizio Cattelan and Yoshitomo Nara. Oh, and if you’re wondering who snapped up Frank Benson’s 3D printed sculpture of Juliana Huxtable from last year’s New Museum Triennial — it was your boy Superflat. [Hyperallergic]

Yesterday a truck carrying work by Matisse, Chagall, Miro, Haring and Neiman was stolen from an industrial park in suburban LA. There aren’t many details about the case yet, but this looks like it will be a juicy story. [Los Angeles Times]

Photographer Leila Alaoui has died from injuries she sustained in the recent Burkina Faso Siege. At the time, Alaoui was on assignment for Amnesty International for a photo series exploring women’s rights. She also just recently had a solo show at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. [PetaPixel]

You’ve built up a sizable vinyl collection, and you get your new music fix from independently release cassette tapes. Well, guess what, discerning music fan? It’s not enough, because an Austrian audiophile company is attempted to resurrect another obsolete player: the reel-to-reel deck. [FACT]

Sketchy: Josh Baer reports in his weekly mailer that a collector purchased an Ed Ruscha print for 18,150 GDP at LiveAuctioneers from Duchovnys Art. He paid for the piece immediately and has still not received it. These are the names of the dealers he worked with: Sean Duchovny (duchovnysart@gmail.com); Sean Rudy (comeseegallery@gmail.com); Gio (youlovepopart@gmail.com); Christopher D. Morris. Don’t do business with them. [The Baer Faxt]

The US Government is putting 4 billion into self driving cars. They believe these cars will make the roads safer and will help the country transition as its population increases and more of its residents move to cities. [Dezeen]

The Met is planning an 180,000 sq foot expansion project to accommodate it’s modern and contemporary collections, which will be displayed at the former Whitney location on the UES in the interim. How many moms of Central Park are going to rally against this one? [New York Post]

OMG today’s cover of the Daily News. [Mother Jones]

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Monday Links: Respect for Art Seemingly at All Time Low

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on August 31, 2015

A still to be titled series by Marsha Owett

The Bass Museum of Art is hiring a curator and curatorial assistant. This would pretty much be the best workplace: imagine leaving the office and stepping across the street to the sands of Miami Beach. [Bass Museum of Art]
“This coffee table makes an optimal addition to any club with high standards. The detachable fig leaf with the ruby underneath radiates intense eroticism.”—from a listing for a glass coffee table supported by a bronze statue of a spread-eagle woman. [Ebay]
Christopher Hawthorne has a great eye for detail and the cinematic qualities of architecture. Read his review of LA’s new Broad Museum. [Los Angeles Times]
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is getting rave reviews one year into his tenureship, from poor and privileged neighborhoods alike. [The New York Times]
There’s entire tumblr dedicated to photoshopping dildos into Canadian Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s hands. Naturally VICE has interviewed the Montreal Artist behind the blog. [VICE]
104 Central Avenue, the mural-covered Bushwick home of Jeremy Sapienza and Luis Velazquez, has sold for $1.285 million to a developer who’s planning on demolishing the house to erect condos. [Curbed]
Is anything that happened at the VMA’s worth reflecting on? Nope. Just some childish bickering. [The Internet]
Oliver Sacks, a famed Neurologist and author died at age 82 of liver cancer. Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer in February he wrote several times on the process of dying (on learning he had terminal cancer, on the Sabbeth, on the decline of his body. We spent the weekend reading those reflections and the obituaries. [The Guardian, The New York Times]
And in untimely deaths, Los-Angeles based painter and Underground Museum founder Noah Davis has died at the age of 32. Although the cause of death has not been announced, the Los Angeles Times reported earlier this summer that he was fighting a rare form of cancer. [Artnews]
The android version of Philip K. Dick has a great sense of humor. He flirts with reporters and makes jokes about keeping humanity in the “people zoo” after AI takes over. [Youtube]
Related: The New York Times goes inside the terrifying workshop building unbelievably creepy sex robots. “With the AI, I think we gotta be careful with that… getting the doll confused so when you’re talking to her she says something that makes absolutely no sense…” These dolls mostly talk about “the uncanny valley” while making blowjob faces. [Youtube]
There’s been yet another attack on sculptures by right-wing Christians in Russia. This time, a bas relief of Mephistopheles from 1910 was demolished from the facade of an historic apartment building in St. Petersburg. [artnet News]
Meanwhile in this country, gun enthusiasts have been using ancient petroglyphs in Utah as a shooting range… irreparably damaging rock art that’s nearly 2,000 years old. [Hyperallergic]
Takashi Murakami chats about an upcoming exhibition of his vast personal collection. The artist collects everything from antiques and contemporary art to kitschy beer mugs. [The Art Newspaper]

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Tuesday Links: Beauty Is Passing, Dumb Is Forever

by Corinna Kirsch and Whitney Kimball on December 9, 2014

rain

New Yorkers, expect a “typical Nor’easter” over the next two days. You’ll be fine! It’s just rain! [Boston.com]
So come out to our party tonight! [Arthaps]
And the final Miami reports continue to come in! “NADA is like Williamsburg to ABMB’s Manhattan: hip, relaxed and scruffy, and a little too much.” I haven’t seen scruff and relaxed since Portland. [Scene & Herd]
“Who buys all this shit?” and other questions raised by Christian Viveros-Fauné, when considering art fair art. “[B]eauty is passing, dumb is forever.” [artnet News]
Matthew Leifheit looks at people looking up at the Freedom Tower. [VICE]
Ew ew ew ew ew ew: artist makes soy sauce out of human hair. He was making it because he heard a rumor that China already makes it. [Vulture]
Oh, and the NYPD shot and killed someone inside a synagogue after the assailant stabbed a student at prayer early this morning. It’s on video. [NY Daily News]
There was a two-faced cat, and they lived ‘til the age of 15. Rest in peace, Frank and Louie. [io9]
Also in animal miracles, we forgot to link to this swimming owl last week. A must-watch. [Gawker]
So far, Playboy wins the Art Basel slideshows by a mile, a round-up which, unlike what’s been appearing on art publications, at least includes a moment of reflection. “Does anything truly exceptional go on here or is it all hype?” wonders Zak Stone. Hype. [Playboy]
If you live in Philadelphia, Detroit, or St. Paul, you might want to tune in to hear Bad at Sports interview Tatiana Hernandez of the Knight Foundation. She “manages a portfolio of over 350 grantees, totaling nearly $100 million in investments.” Take notes. [Bad at Sports]
The Nielsen Ratings, but for Anime airing in Japan. [Anime News Network]
Gift idea for the rich: A pink-and-yellow smiling-flower pillow from Takashi Murakami. It’s only $400! [Artspace]
Wall Street Journalist critic Joanne Kaufman has been banned from receiving free press passes from some Broadway agencies. Rick Miramontez of press agency O&M wrote a blog post expressing his dismay at Kaufman, who recently penned a column about leaving during intermission. She’s still welcome, Miramontez wrote, “If she deems a show of ours worthy enough for her (fleeting) attention, she is more than welcome to call us to arrange tickets – but she had better have a credit card handy.” [Playbill]
Tweets of Old is posting letters to Santa from the early 1900s. Among other stuff, children asked for bananas, a waste paper basket, and wood. [Tweets of Old]
Seattle police in riot gear have outfitted themselves as Robocops with bike helmets, according to this twitpic. [Twitter]

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Thursday Links: Another Top 100 List

by Paddy Johnson Whitney Kimball and Corinna Kirsch on April 24, 2014

Time’s “100 Most Important People” is out. Sheikha al-Mayassa Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has been dubbed “important” because she’s really rich, collects lots of art, and will make some of it available for view to the public. The piece was written by Takashi Murakami, who barely speaks English. Looks like the magazine found a translator. The other bullshit art entry is Marina Abramovic, with a write up by James Franco. Barack Obama does the write up for Pope Francis but also gets his own entry. [TIME]
Sotheby’s expects pre-tax loss of $6 million for first quarter 2014, an improvement on $32 million loss for first quarter 213. Where exactly are they losing money? The press release doesn’t say. [Benzinga]
Say goodbye to net neutrality. The F.C.C. has shifted its position and now supports an Internet with fast lanes and slow lines for web traffic. You can expect more from us on this today. [The New York Times]
Chelsea real-estate woes continue, this time on 26th Street. Tony Shafrazi, Lehmann Maupin, and Stephen Haller will lose their entire building to developers who plan to bulldoze it in order to make a “130,000-square-foot commercial, office, community facility space.” [Gallerist]
Bushwick will get a new art fair, the NEWD Art Show, at 592 Johnson Avenue. It’s set to run May 30 – June 1. [Hyperallergic]
FREE CHOCOLATE-COVERED MARSHMALLOWS AT DAVID ZWIRNER! [artnet news]
Art, fashion, and Michelle Obama:

Michelle Obama will cut the ribbon on Anna Wintour’s Costume Center at the Met on May 5 (morning of Met ball)

— John Koblin (@koblin) April 23, 2014

Speculation over whether Art Cologne and other EU-based art fairs are slowly suffering from fewer tax breaks for art dealers. [Euronews]
A portable masturbation hut. [Reddit]
Yes! Now we can watch untold hours of British newsreels, thanks to the archive British Pathé, which has uploaded its entire archive of 85,000 films on YouTube. The featured video is of Arnold Schwarzenegger winning the Mr. Universe contest. [YouTube, h/t The Baffler]
Is Detroit “the new Brooklyn”? ArtINFO interviews Jane Shulak, the founder of the Culture Lab Detroit Conference, a summit on building Detroit’s cultural industry. [BLOUIN ArtINFO]
Three years after getting assaulted by police, OWS protestor and journalist has gotten a $55,000 settlement from the city. [ANIMAL]
Omg! The Andy Warhol Museum has uncovered new Warhols, which were made on the Amiga computer program, and to this point trapped on floppy disks. They have been liberated. Here’s a video of him painting Debbie Harry. [The Warhol Museuml]
Even more mystery art has been unearthed. A “virtually unknown portrait” by Gustav Klimt will be unveiled in May. Alas, “The identity of the sitter remains a mystery.” [The Art Newspaper]

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Week Three: Jet-Ski Scam in Thailand by Rirkrit Tiravanija

by Corinna Kirsch on November 20, 2013

Dream Exhibitions is a new weekly series that asks artists, writers, curators, and other creative types what as-yet unrealized exhibition they’d like to see.

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Takashi Murakami’s Facebook Profile Picture is Misunderstood in its Own Time

by Will Brand on December 5, 2012

Takashi Murakami will paint your portrait, but not before serving you a steaming pile of bullshit.

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Arbitrary Arbitration in Art Review’s Power 100

by Reid Singer on October 13, 2011

It’s very hard to comment on a list ranking anything — beer, Star Wars movies, or art world figures — without negotiating some serious sass fallout. When reading comments to the 2011 Power 100, published today by Art Review, I thought of tuning my ear by spending a few minutes listening to the trash talk that follows a competition on Drag Race. What would people have to say if Dasha Zhukova gave RuPaul a “bad girl” makeover? Or if Takashi Murakami could talk about how funky his chicken is? And who wouldn’t want to see Damien Hirst lip-sync to the Stacy Q song “Two of Hearts?”

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takashi murakami

Takashi Murakami’s Facebook Profile Picture is Misunderstood in its Own Time

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