Godzilla, The King of the Monsters bursts forth from the elements in a new painting from Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to celebrate Godzilla’s 65th Anniversary. The original painting will be seen for the first time at ComplexCon this weekend in Long Beach, November 2 – 3. The 11ft high painting will be on display at the Godzilla booth (E23) along with exclusive Godzilla merchandise including some lines featuring Murakami’s Godzilla artwork.
“We’re honored that an artist as iconic as Takashi Murakami has created artwork that so beautifully captures the essence of Godzilla,” said Keiji Ota, CGO (Chief Godzilla Officer) at Toho. “We’re celebrating Godzilla’s 65th anniversary starting on November 3rd and continuing throughout the year, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick it off than with this sublime piece of art from Takashi Murakami.”
Takashi Murakami is the originator of the Superflat theory, which reconstructs Japanese traditional paintings and the origin of Japanese contemporary art through visual premises of anime and manga. In the final installment of his Superflat trilogy of curated exhibitions, Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture (New York, 2005), he selected Godzilla as one of the representative characters of post-war Japan.
Godzilla first appeared in Toho’s “Godzilla” (1954), a classic monster movie widely regarded as a masterpiece, and celebrates the 65th anniversary of the release on Godzilla Day, November 3rd. Over time, Godzilla and the franchise itself evolved, becoming a metaphor for social commentary in the real world, turning Godzilla into a globally recognized icon and influencing many creative minds for 65 years now.
TM&©TOHO CO., LTD.
