Getting the party started…
Photo courtesy mayotic via the Brooklyn Museum Group on Flickr. All Rights Reserved.
As Tamara noted, one of the most interesting things about putting on exhibitions for living artists is that the artists themselves often have a hand in how their work is viewed, and this is not just limited to the pieces in the exhibition. In this case, planning for the Members Preview and Reception was much more than just firing off a letter to all our Members and ordering some food from our caterer. For the © MURAKAMI Members Preview and Reception held on April 4, Murakami’s studio Kaikai Kiki helped design the invitation (seen above) and were only satisfied when the artist himself approved it.
Going into the night, there were two big unknowns: the number of people that would show up, and whether the artist was going to make an appearance. When 2,300 Members came, we were thrilled. And when the Takashi Murakami himself walked into the lobby, it was icing on the cake. He graciously shook hands, took pictures, and signed invitations (as you can see below) for over an hour, and our Members couldn’t have been happier. Maybe we should do exhibitions of living artists more often!
If you didn’t make it to the Members opening, the show is now open to the public through July 13. Come and check it out! You never know when the artist could show up…
