Artist Murakami sues over resale of work
Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami's art production company has filed a lawsuit against a company in Tokyo, claiming 5.5 million yen in compensation for breaching a sales contract and demanding the return of a work of art purchased by the firm.
According to the written complaint filed at the Tokyo District Court on July 4 by Kaikai Kiki Co., Murakami's company, the artwork in question is a drawing titled "Flower Ball Blood (3-D) V" purchased by real estate company Cerulean. Cerulean is represented by Takahiro Kobayashi, a member of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward Assembly.
When the real estate company purchased the circular picture--which measures 1.5 meters in diameter--for 68 million yen in January, Murakami's company stipulated that the art could not be resold for a period of 10 years, to avoid speculative art deals.
However, Murakami's company--headed by the artist--discovered that the real estate firm intended to auction the work in London last month.
Kaikai Kiki filed a provisional disposition with the district court to prohibit the transfer of the work, which was approved, meaning the firm have to give up on its auction plan.
Murakami's works have garnered acclaim both domestically and overseas. One of his action figure works sold for 1.6 billion yen at an auction in the United States.
A Cerulean official said, "We'll determine the appropriate response [to the legal action] after examining the written complaint."
A similar painting yesterday:
From the Yomiuri Shimbun, Jul. 12, 2008. (Sorry, I'm a slow reader, okay?)
Damn! And I was just about to Ebay all my 'Superflatmuseum' figs too!
