Why is the Tan Tan Bo collection so important?

The Tan Tan Bo prints capture Murakami’s fascinating artistic style which evolved from his classical training and interest in popular culture. Murakami studied ‘nihonga’, a traditionalist Japanese painting style, at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. The artist went on to do a Master’s and PhD, both specialising in this traditional art form. Murakami gradually became disillusioned with the insular and political nature of the fine art world and decided he wanted to experiment with more contemporary artistic styles. Murakami’s year in New York in 1994 proved pivotal in the development of his artistic style as he was exposed to contemporary Western artists such as Jeff Koons and Anselm Kiefer whose techniques he combined with aesthetics related to Japanese popular culture to create distinct and unique artworks that fuse influences from the East and West.

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Tan Tan Bo by Takashi Murakami Background & Meaning

Meaning & Analysis

This collection features two prints made by the renowned Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. Both prints depict the same cartoon character, Tan Tan Bo using different mediums, with one of the works being a silkscreen print, while the other is an offset lithograph.

The cartoon character depicted in these prints, Tan Tan Bo, has been described as the ‘reincarnation of Mr. DOB as a monster’. The cartoon’s appearance is very similar to that of Mr. DOB, who is identifiable by his Mickey Mouse- style head, large round eyes and wide grin. Tan Tan Bo is inspired by a manga character created by Mizuki Shigeru. Murakami is a long-time lover of anime and manga and these Japanese cartoons and comics have had a profound impact on the artist’s visual language and style.

Tan Tan Bo’a monster-like appearance in these prints, with his giant face that is spitting out colourful phlegm from a gaping black mouth, has been read as representing Murakami’s personal anxiety regarding the expanding development of nuclear power. The prints act as a reflection of Murakami’s personal psyche, as well as a symbol of the socio-political climate in Japan and pressing societal concerns.

The Tan Tan Bo prints capture Murakami’s fascinating artistic style which evolved from his classical training and interest in popular culture. Murakami studied ‘nihonga’, a traditionalist Japanese painting style, at the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. The artist went on to do a Master’s and PhD, both specialising in this traditional art form. Murakami gradually became disillusioned with the insular and political nature of the fine art world and decided he wanted to experiment with more contemporary artistic styles. Murakami’s year in New York in 1994 proved pivotal in the development of his artistic style as he was exposed to contemporary Western artists such as Jeff Koons and Anselm Kiefer whose techniques he combined with aesthetics related to Japanese popular culture to create distinct and unique artworks that fuse influences from the East and West.
The collection also encapsulates Murakami’s ‘superflat’ aesthetic, which is characterised by the hyper-compressed, depthless surfaces that are commonplace in Murakami’s artworks. The term was coined by Murakami in 2000 when the artist published the superflat theory in the catalogue for a group exhibition that he curated for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. According to Murakami’s theory, there is a legacy of flat, two-dimensional imagery from Japanese art history in manga and anime. This style contrasts with the way Western art strives to create texture and depth by experimenting with planes of colour and materials. In addition to describing the aesthetics of artworks, Murakami also uses this term to address the nature of post-war Japanese culture and society. Murakami identifies how differences in social classes and popular taste have flattened, diminishing the distinction between ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture. A feature of the superflat style, which is seen in this collection, is the way in which symbols of ‘high’ culture are rendered in a popular style associated with ‘low’ culture, which has the effect of flattening together what is considered ‘high’ and ‘low’ in the same work.
Tan Tan Bo’s presentation as a fantastical and unearthly creature seems to combine established planar forms of Japanese art with contemporary anime and manga inspired imagery, which clearly harks back to Murakami’s classical training and popular culture interests. The collection illustrates Murakami’s remarkable ability to reimagine and expand upon traditional Japanese signs and imagery within a contemporary commercial landscape. In doing so, Murakami questions the construction of culture, tradition and heritage and the dichotomies dividing classical and contemporary styles.
If you're looking to sell art by Takashi Murakami, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.