Takashi Murakami: AND THEN Black

This limited-edition screen print by Takashi Murakami depicts the artist’s iconic Mr. DOB character in black on a metallic silver checkerboard background. Mr. DOB, whose name derives from the Japanese slang term dobojite (“why?”), is a sort of alter ego for Murakami and represents his critique of consumer society. The artist developed the anime-inspired mascot in the early 1990s in response to what he described as the “market survivability” of characters such as Mickey Mouse and Pikachu. Its grinning face has since become a pop-cultural phenomenon, appearing not only in artworks but also in a variety of products, including a 2003 line of luxury handbags produced in partnership with Louis Vuitton.