Murakami for 11 years he studied painting at the Tokyo University of Art and Music. Nevertheless, the majority of his works are inspired by mass culture - comics, manga, video games. He worked with computer graphics. The last of his experiments with painting have been associated with physical intervention of the artist in the picture: Murakami daubed themselves with paint and wrapped in canvas.
Previously, the intention to return to traditional painting has announced another artist, famous for his work with a lot of assistants - Britain's Damien Hirst. Critics, however, his new paintings are not appreciated.
Versailles exhibition of Murakami provoked a storm of protest among some Frenchmen who defended the traditional view of the palace. Nevertheless, the protesters disrupt the opening of the event was not possible - as well as the exhibition of Jeff Koons, with great success the past in Versailles in 2008.
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In Versailles will show 22 works of Murakami, 11 of which were created specifically for the exhibition http://lenta.ru/news/2010/09/14/murakami/

He, however, stressed that this decision has nothing to do with the protests of traditionalist organizations claiming to psychedelic sculpture Murakami is not worthy of a demonstration at the residence of Louis XIV. According Ayyagona, contemporary art has come to Versailles, but show it to be somewhere else - most likely in the Orangery, the Versailles gardens or in the building of the Royal Opera - only because it used the royal chambers once again been interesting.
Visitors to Versailles can see 22 works Murakami, among which seven sculptures and one video. Half of the works created specially for the exhibition. The exhibits were borrowed from the four collections representative at Versailles refused to say whether the number in their collection of French billionaire Francois Pinault (Francois Pinault). In 2008, the latter gave to the exhibition Koons six works that were greeted with attacks by the French press, who claimed that he fills that exhibits price.

What about all this fuss thinks himself Murakami? .. In an official press release he states: "I'm the Cheshire Cat, who meets Alice in Wonderland devilish smile and zabaltyvaet her until she wanders through the palace."