The Intersection of Art and Commerce (with a ©)

A few weeks ago in New York City, I finally had the chance to go wander through the Takashi Murakami retrospective currently on view at the Brooklyn Art Museum. I had barely missed it when it originally hit in Los Angeles, so I made sure to make it my one priority amidst all the family chaos going on during that trip.

It is an impressive collection by one of the more unique pop artists working in the world today. Think Andy Warhol meets Japanese Anime chic, mixed in with a proportional share of commercial savvy.

With bold colors and an occasional adult sensibility (you'll never quite look at breast milk -- or for that matter, other bodily fluids -- the same way again) the ©MURAKAMI exhibit is a sensory experience like few others I have seen. A savvy mix of pop culture, high art, and -- yes, as the exhibition title clearly implies -- commercialism.

Having based his art around his Superflat concept, he has ambitiously set out to bridge the divide between high brow and low brow. While his pieces themselves command a high premium on the world art market, his anime figures are just as comfortable on a a mousepad, a coffee mug or a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Art to Murakami is an intersection between creativity and the real world we live in. It seems to breathe and change as you interact with it, in all it's technicolor glory.

I see clearly now that his motives for keeping a tagged billboard of his from the exhibition's first run in Los Angeles are very much in line with his philosophy of a world where nothing is necessarily sacred, including himself.

If you happen to be in New York City before July 13, make sure you go check out this fantastically modern exhibit for yourself.

Otherwise, check out this clever Louis Vuitton introduction to the genius that is Takashi Murakami: