Hentai porn sculpture sells for $15 million
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/05/takashi_murakami_watches_from.htmlMy Lonesome Cowboy, his larger-than-life sculpture of a boy waving an ejaculate lasso
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16 commentsReplies
JasAsian v2.0 said, (200 days ago)
$15 Million? Was it carved from the dried up vaginal secretions of virgin schoolgirls or something? (Knowing hentai culture, I wouldn't be surprised if this weren't already on the way.)
Make Art said, (200 days ago)
I'm with Triangles on this one; Murakami is indeed popular at the moment. The place where I work sold one of his sculptures for £1.2 million a few weeks ago.
Make Art said, (200 days ago)
Incidentally I know Nick Lawrence, the Freight & Volume gallerist, quoted in the article. I showed there with a collaborative piece in 2006.
The Scarlet Fuz said, (200 days ago)
I think the comment about "irrational exuberance" sums up both this piece and the nature of art speculation.
In addition, it was inevitable that there would be a gay Jeff Koons.
Oom Mao Mao said, (200 days ago)
Bacon I get, and like, although I wouldn't drop $68 million on a triptych.
Not sure I get the hentai thing though, but I might not be the target audience, and I think that fuz hit it on the head with the Koons comparison. I find Koons not loathsome, but beneath contempt.
In spite of all this, there was a significant amount of contemporary Japanese art at an exhibit at the BMFA. Called 'Contemporary Outlook', the artists were: Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami, Daido Moriyama, Mariko Mori, and Chinatsu Ban.
I thought some of the art, particularly by the women, addressed gender images and the male gaze quite effectively AND aesthetically.
Oom Mao Mao said, (200 days ago)
I do believe, Triangles, that one of your favorite Japanese artists was in that exhibit, but I forget her name. The OCD one.
Triangles said, (200 days ago)
@AArtaud: Yayoi Kusama? She's out of control, literally. Love her work. There's an instance where I'm sure her rep/agent refuses to allow her access to meds or psych help.
Oom Mao Mao said, (200 days ago)
Yep, it's easy to recognize her work. Just look for the stuff where you think, 'My god, how much time would have this TAKEN?'
Good stuff as well.
Sarah von Pantyhose said, (200 days ago)
the bacon was 86 not 68 million.
and I like bacon (looking at small pictures of that triptych I wasn't particularly impressed by it, but over all I like him).
And I kind of like Murakami, it's gross, extremely commercial, and a little empty, but I like it. The same way I like action figures.
flyingfishstick said, (200 days ago)
@Triangles: I love Yayoi too - she's got a permanent installation here (Phoenix) called You Who Are Getting Obliterated in the Dancing Swarm of Fireflies, and it's fantastic.
Triangles said, (200 days ago)
@flyingfishstick: Ooh, I'd love to see that! Most of my vacations are art & food based. :)
flyingfishstick said, (199 days ago)
Well, we've def. got plenty of both around here, despite what many think.
Here's what the installation looks like http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcsixth/330325059/sizes/l/ - dark mirrored room, strings of LEDs that slowly change color. Only two or three people are allowed in at a time, and it's very very disorienting. I love it.
Make Art said, (199 days ago)
@ Sarah Les Pantyhose, Triangles & flyingfishstick: Not sure if you're interested but I thought you might like a look at the catalogue for the Japanese show we had at the place where I work last month. Murakami and Kusama both featured along with Nobuyoshi Araki and Hiroshi Sugimoto. There's also a lot of other paintings, photo's, ceramics, toys and furniture to peruse.
Link below.
"The big winner of the night, however, was Francis Bacon, whose triptych set a new record for the artist when it went to a phone bidder for a staggering $86.3 million."
that's just disgusting (the money).