TAKASHI MURAKAMI

Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1962, Murakami grew up in a household that placed a high value on art. His younger brother, Yuji, also became an artist. Japanese popular culture informed his outlook, but he also felt the impact of Western society, particularly the popular culture of the United States. Murakami became exposed to some aspects of American life during a time when his father worked at an American naval base, and he also absorbed a great deal through imported movies and music. "Only recently did I realize how much I've been influenced by Steven Spielberg," Murakami told Interview magazine in 2001. "In his films there is a tension between the children's world and the adults' world." Many of Murakami's works capture that tension between the innocence of childhood and the experience of adulthood, with his cartoon-like images sometimes displaying a dark and slightly creepy undertone.

"I have learned in Europe and America the way of the fine-art scene. Few people come to museums. Much bigger are movie theaters. The museum, that space is kind of old-style media."

Murakami wanted to be an artist when he grew up. He was particularly interested in animation and comics, and he felt that studying art would help him improve his drawing skills. He enrolled in the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in the early 1980s.