LUCKY DAY!
YOURS. OR MINE.
MURAKAMI IN PARIS
There is a special bond between the palace of Versailles and the people of Japan. It's all because of a famous manga, The Rose of Versailles, by the artist Riyako Akida. "It was a big hit and was even adapted into a takarazuka (a traditional kind of musical in which all parts are played by women), explains Takashi Murakami in an interview about his 2010 exhibition in the palace's Hall of Mirrors. "I learned about it at the peak if its popularity, a time when the whole country was obsessed with the story.
"Perhaps for more than 20 pecent of the Japanese population, their knowledge of Versailles is forever connected to this manga... You could say that for us the palace is both a symbol of western history and a dream world with its own aesthetic.
"My hope is that by weaving my personal Japanese identity into the fabric of Versailles, I will create a wholly new chemical reaction which I can share with visitors."
Quotes from an interview by Fabrice Bousteau, published in the brochure for the exhibition.
Here are pics we took at the exhibition. The pieces were in the Hall of Mirrors. Mouse over the thumbnails for a bigger view.
Read a little more about Takashi Murakami and his Superflat Art movement.
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