Takashi Murakami

Born February 1, 1962, Takashi Murakami is a Japanese Contemporary Artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (for example fashion, merchandise, and animation).  From early on, he was a fan of anime and manga (Japanese cartoons and comics respectively), and hoped to work in the animation industry. He attended Tokyo University of the Arts to acquire the drafting skills necessary to become an animator, but eventually majored in Nihonga, the 'traditional' style of Japanese painting that incorporates traditional Japanese artistic techniques and subjects.