Guy Hepner Gallery

Takashi Murakami Reversal DNA For Sale

Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami - Reversal DNA, 2001, Lithograph

Reversal DNA, 2001

Lithograph

19 3/4 x 19 3/4 in 50 x 50 cm

Edition

Edition of 300

About this work

The Mr. DOB series by Takashi Murakami is a seminal collection that plays a pivotal role in the artist's oeuvre, showcasing his iconic cartoon character, Mr. DOB, across a variety of lithograph prints. Launched in 1993, Mr. DOB has become one of Murakami's most enduring and recognizable creations, symbolizing the artist's exploration of identity and cultural commentary through the lens of contemporary art.Produced in limited edition sizes of 300, the prints in the Mr. DOB collection are notable for their vibrant color palettes and meticulous attention to detail, hallmarks of Murakami's style. His work is characterized by bold, bright colors and a distinct flatness, where glossy surfaces are favored over textured depth. This stylistic choice reflects Murakami's affinity for the superflat theory, which he developed to explore the intersections of art, culture, and consumerism in post-war Japan.Mr. DOB, with his Mickey Mouse-like silhouette—featuring large round ears, wide eyes with fluttering eyelashes, and pronounced teeth—captures the essence of 'kawaii', or the culture of cuteness that pervades much of Japanese popular culture. However, while embodying this aesthetic, Mr. DOB also serves as a critical mirror reflecting the artist's views on the art world and societal norms. Each iteration of Mr. DOB, while consistent in its core features, presents different expressions and contexts that challenge and engage viewers with underlying themes of consumerism, fame, and the art industry.Murakami's use of Mr. DOB across his career not only highlights the character's versatility and adaptability but also allows the artist to continuously develop a dialogue with his audience about evolving social and cultural landscapes. The Mr. DOB series is more than just a display of artistic talent; it is an ongoing narrative device that Murakami uses to navigate and dissect the complexities of contemporary life, making it a cornerstone in his contribution to modern art.

Price on Application

Auction History

Takashi Murakami - PARA-KITI DOB (2001); Reversal D.N.A (2001); AND THEN Ichimatsu Pattern (2006); AND THEN Black (2006); ...

PARA-KITI DOB (2001); Reversal D.N.A (2001); AND THEN Ichimatsu Pattern (2006); AND THEN Black (2006); And then, and then and then and then and then Yellow Jelly (2008); And then, and then and then and then and then Green Truth (2008); Melting DoB A · Takashi Murakami · Christie's · 2009-05 · $12,901

Takashi Murakami - Reversal D.N.A.; And then and then and then and then and then; PARA-KITI DOB; DOB Flower; and And then ...

Reversal D.N.A.; And then and then and then and then and then; PARA-KITI DOB; DOB Flower; and And then and then and then and then and then Abstraktes Bild · Takashi Murakami · Phillips · 2025-10 · $2,838

Takashi Murakami - Into the Dream. [Jumbo Corn Head Mushroom], Reversal D.N.A, Kaikaikiki news

Into the Dream. [Jumbo Corn Head Mushroom], Reversal D.N.A, Kaikaikiki news · Takashi Murakami · Sotheby's · 2017-11 · $2,648

Takashi Murakami - Reversal DNA

Reversal DNA · Takashi Murakami · Bonhams · 2023-01 · $1,530

Takashi Murakami - Reversal D.N.A.

Reversal D.N.A. · Takashi Murakami · Heritage Auctions · 2026-03 · $950

More from this series

More series by Takashi Murakami

About the Mr. Dob Series

Takashi Murakami Mr. Dob Prints For Sale

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.

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Reversal DNA

About Takashi Murakami

Takashi Murakami Prints For Sale

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.

Murakami's Visual Universe: Flowers, Skulls, and Mr. DOB

Through his practice, Murakami has built a visual universe populated by recurring characters and motifs:

  • Smiling Flowers — deceptively cheerful multi-eyed blossoms that bloom across canvases, prints, and merchandise of enormous scale and colour variety. The flowers are Murakami's most recognisable and actively traded motif in the edition market.
  • Mr. DOB — Murakami's alter ego and running commentary on consumerism; a hybrid figure drawing on anime, cartoon, and pop art traditions
  • Skulls — rendered in the manner of traditional Japanese vanitas imagery, these works bridge his engagement with the history of Japanese craft and his fascination with mortality and popular culture
  • Kaikai and Kiki — his studio mascots, which appear across prints, sculptures, and merchandise as embodiments of the Kaikai Kiki production ethos
  • Flower Ball — large-scale sphere compositions made of repeating flower motifs; among his most sought-after sculptural and print works

Takashi Murakami: Kaikai Kiki Studio and Production

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: Major Collaborations and Cultural Reach

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.

Takashi Murakami: Market and Auction Results

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.

What to Look For When Buying Takashi Murakami Prints

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.

Buy Takashi Murakami Art For Sale at Guy Hepner Gallery, New York

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.

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