Takeshi Murakami, Homage to Francis Bacon (Study of Isabel ...), 2002
© 2006 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Private collection.

On Artnet, Hunter Drohojowska-Philp has taken on the Murkami show at MOCA with lots of nice pictures. I'm a big fan but it is odd how Ive seen most of this work in other places (I first saw My Lonesome Cowboy and Hiropon at The Portland Art Museum in 2000 even). Murakami still matters but somehow I wanted him to do something more radical than a museum show, maybe something in a mall instead of moving the mall into the museum? My favorites will always be the Francis Bacon works, DOB inflatables, toothed mushroom paintings and the wallpapers.

Also,Christopher Knight of the LA times also gives his take on Murakami

...all this is well and good but the best museum show of 2007 is Robert Irwin's retrospective in San Diego. Sure Serra was real good too but there is always something problematic about Richard Serra in a museum retro.

It gave me pause for thought when I saw CBS Sunday Morning interview Murakami and while he gave a museum tour of the show( a few weeks ago when it opened). I enjoyed it thoroughly, but knowing the target audience for their news hour it seemed to fit in a little too nicely. Of course I didn't see any other news hour shows giving him a nice 20 minute segment.