
Acupuncture
3 works

DOB DOB, 1996
Vinyl chloride and helium Unique Inflatable Sculpture
121 × 281 × 128 in 307.3 × 713.7 × 325.1 cm
DOB DOB, 1996 represents one of the earliest and most critical sculptural articulations of Takashi Murakami’s foundational character, Mr. DOB. Conceived during the formative years of his Superflat theory, this unique sculpture translates the artist’s graphic alter ego into a fully volumetric presence, collapsing distinctions between painting, animation, product design, and fine art object. Mr. DOB—at once mascot, monogram, and self-portrait—functions here not merely as a character, but as a conceptual device through which Murakami examines authorship, commodification, and the mechanics of cultural production. The sculpture’s exaggerated anatomy and hyper-polished surface embody Murakami’s synthesis of high-gloss commercial fabrication with art-historical rigor. Rendered in saturated blue with sharply defined facial features, the work oscillates between playful cartoon aesthetics and something more unsettling. Multiple faces and distorted proportions destabilize the character’s otherwise familiar form, introducing a psychological edge that complicates its apparent charm. The repetition of the “D” and “B” forms reinforces the logo-like structure of the figure, underscoring Murakami’s early understanding of branding as an artistic strategy.
Price on Application

Me and Double-DOB; Infinity; AND THEN Rainbow; Guru Guru; AND THEN Platinum; Melting DOB D; Melting DOB E; Kansei Gold; And then, and then and then and then and then/Green Truth; & Melting DOB A · Takashi Murakami · Christie's · 2010-11 · $25,762

New Day: DOB Totem Pole New ;& Day: Self-Portrait ;& New Day: Lots, Lots of Kaikai and Kiki · Takashi Murakami · Christie's · 2020-06 · $20,967

Me and Mr DOB and other (six works) · Takashi Murakami · Sotheby's · 2018-04 · $17,520

Kaikai Kiki News NO2; Kaikai Kiki And Me; Kaikai Kiki And Me - The Shocking Truth Revealed; Kaikai Kiki And Me - For Better Or Worse, In Good Times And Bad. The Weather Is Fine; Me And Mr. DOB; Murakami-kun, Quel Surprise Et Quel Dommage; Me And Double - DOB; & Self-portrait Of The Distressed Artist · Takashi Murakami · Christie's · 2011-11 · $16,032

I. ME AND THE MR. DOBS/ II. KAIKAI, KIKI, DOB AND POM ATOP THE MOUND OF THE DEAD/ III. CHAOS/ IV. ME AMONG THE SUPERNATURAL/ V. I MET A PANDA FAMILY/ VI. POM & ME: ON THE RED MOUNT OF THE DEAD (SIX WORKS) · Takashi Murakami · Sotheby's · 2018-10 · $15,925


Takashi Murakami
772 772
2015

Takashi Murakami
DOB (white)
2003

Takashi Murakami
DOB Jump
1999

Takashi Murakami
DOB Myxomycete
2017

Takashi Murakami
DOB Totem Pole
2000

Takashi Murakami
Gunegune DOB Special Version
1997

Takashi Murakami
Hands Clasped
2015

Takashi Murakami
Here Comes Media (grey)
2001

Takashi Murakami
Me And Double DOB
2009

Takashi Murakami
Me And Mr. DOB
2009

Takashi Murakami
Melting DOB A
1999

Takashi Murakami
Melting DOB D
2001

Takashi Murakami
Melting DOB E
2001

Takashi Murakami
Para Kiti DOB
2001

Takashi Murakami
Parakita Dob
2001

Takashi Murakami
Parallel Universe
2014

Takashi Murakami
Reversal DNA
2001

Takashi Murakami
Spiral
2014
Explore Takashi Murakami's iconic Mr. DOB series, a landmark body of work that exemplifies the acclaimed Japanese artist's signature fusion of high art and commercial culture. Featuring seminal pieces including Spiral, Me And Mr. DOB, and Melting DOB E, this collection showcases Murakami's distinctive aesthetic across multiple mediums and techniques.
The Mr. DOB series emerged as a pivotal moment in contemporary art, establishing Murakami's reputation for blending traditional Japanese aesthetics with pop sensibilities. Each work demonstrates his masterful command of color, composition, and conceptual depth, with pieces ranging from the playful Gunegune DOB Special Version to the technically complex Para Kiti DOB and Reversal DNA.
Collectors consistently recognize the Mr. DOB series for its cultural significance and investment potential, with works commanding strong market positions globally. Whether you're an established collector or discovering Murakami's practice, these pieces represent essential acquisitions in contemporary Japanese art.
Enquire for availability and pricing on individual works from this highly sought-after series.

Takashi Murakami prints for sale at Guy Hepner Gallery in New York span the full range of his edition output: Superflat flower prints, skull series, Mr. DOB works, Kaikai Kiki editions, and collaborative works that have made Murakami one of the most actively traded artists in the contemporary print market. For collectors seeking Takashi Murakami art for sale — whether an iconic flower screenprint, a limited-edition sculpture multiple, or a major canvas — Guy Hepner at 177 Tenth Avenue, New York offers expert guidance, full provenance documentation, and access to authenticated works across all his major series.
Takashi Murakami (b. 1962, Tokyo) is the defining figure of contemporary Japanese art on the international stage — an artist, theorist, entrepreneur, and studio director whose Superflat theory and the enormously productive practice it generated have permanently altered the conversation about the relationship between high art and popular culture, between Western postwar painting and East Asian visual tradition, and between the studio and the factory. Murakami received his BA, MA, and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts in Nihonga — traditional Japanese painting — a rigorous formation that gives his apparently anarchic pop sensibility its underlying structural discipline.
The Superflat manifesto, which Murakami developed and articulated in the early 2000s, proposed that the flattened pictorial space of traditional Japanese painting and the surface-oriented aesthetics of anime and manga were not merely parallel phenomena but expressions of the same deep cultural logic — a logic that Western art history had misread as naivety but which Murakami identified as a sophisticated and distinctive mode of representation.
Through his practice, Murakami has built a visual universe populated by recurring characters and motifs:
Murakami's Kaikai Kiki studio and production company — employing dozens of assistants in an explicit homage to both the Japanese craft workshop and Warhol's Factory — produces paintings, sculptures, editions, merchandise, and cultural events with equal seriousness and commercial intent. This model, in which studio production, cultural criticism, and commercial output are deliberately merged, is central to understanding Murakami's practice and the edition market that surrounds it.
Murakami's major collaborations have extended his work into fashion, music, and popular culture on a global scale. His partnership with Louis Vuitton produced some of the most successful fashion-art collaborations of the 2000s. His album artwork for Kanye West's Graduation brought his visual language to audiences that had no prior engagement with contemporary art. His collaborations with Supreme and other streetwear brands have ensured that his work circulates across youth culture as readily as it does in museum collections.
These collaborations have expanded the collector base for his fine art editions significantly: many collectors who first encountered Murakami through fashion or music have subsequently acquired prints and multiples, creating sustained demand across a wider demographic than most contemporary artists command.
Murakami's auction record stands at $15,200,000 for My Lonesome Cowboy (1998) at Sotheby's New York in 2008, and major paintings continue to command seven-figure results. His edition prints and multiples — flower series, skulls, Mr. DOB, Kaikai Kiki — are among the most actively traded in the contemporary edition market globally. Print prices range from $3,000–$5,000 for smaller open editions through $50,000–$200,000+ for rare signed limited editions and artist proofs in high demand colourways.
Murakami's work is held in permanent collections at MoMA, MOCA Los Angeles, the Asian Art Museum San Francisco, Tate Modern, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Centre Pompidou, the Rubell Museum, and the Mori Art Museum Tokyo.
Edition size: Murakami produces both open-edition merchandise-style prints and tightly limited fine art editions. The latter — often numbered to 50 or fewer, with hand signature and certificate of authenticity from Kaikai Kiki — carry the strongest value and market liquidity.
Motif and colourway: Flower works in rare colourways, skull editions, and Mr. DOB prints consistently outperform peripheral motifs. Rainbow colourways and gold/metallic editions typically carry premium over standard colourways.
Authentication: All fine art editions should come with Kaikai Kiki certificates of authenticity and, for works sold through Perrotin or other authorised galleries, original gallery documentation.
Condition: Murakami's prints are typically produced on archival substrates, but condition remains important — works stored and framed correctly hold value most reliably.
Guy Hepner offers a curated selection of Takashi Murakami prints for sale and edition multiples across all his major series from our gallery at 177 Tenth Avenue, New York. We bring expert knowledge of the Murakami edition market and offer free, confidential valuations for collectors looking to sell or appraise their holdings. Whether you are seeking an iconic flower print, a skull series multiple, or a rare signed limited edition, Guy Hepner provides the market expertise, authentication assurance, and collector access to support every acquisition.