Mr.  (Japanese, 1969) 

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Mr. (Japanese, b.1969), born Iwamoto Masakatu in Cupa, is a renowned Pop artist. Taking his alias from the nickname of the famous Japanese baseball player Shigeo Nagashima, Mr. draws upon the otaku culture (including manga comics, anime, sci-fi literature, and video games) as inspiration for many of his works. He mixes a cartoonish and innocent style with the Lolita-esque sexualization of his characters, mostly in the form of drawings, paintings, or sculptures. He attended the department of Fine Arts, Sokei Art School in Tokyo. In 1995, while still in school, he was discovered by Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b.1962) and became of on his protégés. He joined Murakami’s art organization, Kaikai Kiki, where he is included in their exhibitions and also works as a staff member. His works have been exhibited around the world in solo shows and with other Kaikai Kiki artists. In 2005, he was shown in the group exhibition Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture at the Japan Society in New York. In 2007, he had a solo show at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York which included one of his large, brightly colored sculptures, Strawberry Voice—a large head with eyes that popped open. In addition to painting and sculpture, Mr. has more recently forayed into photography, video, and Performance Art. He currently lives and works in Saitama, outside of Tokyo.

Find Mr. artworks for sale worldwide, artworks that sold at auction, a detailed biography, and more information on the artist below.
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Artworks for sale (5)


Mr., Hong Kong

 

Mr.
Hong Kong
2002

Auction: May 26, 2013
Est-Ouest Auctions Co., Ltd.
View Details | entire auction
Mr., Together also at school

 

Mr.
Together also at school
2008

Lehmann Maupin
Mr., Team Rabbit

 

Mr.
Team Rabbit
2008

Lehmann Maupin
Mr., Nobody Dies

 

Mr.
Nobody Dies
2008

Lehmann Maupin
Mr., Dokuluffe

 

Mr.
Dokuluffe
2003

Rudolf Budja Galerie / Artmosphere Galerien GmbH Austria
 
Past auction results (143)  View All
Mr., Work (set of 2)

 

Mr.
Work (set of 2), 1998
watercolor on paper

 

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Mr., Untitled

 

Mr.
Untitled, 2010
watercolor on paper

 

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Mr., Fry Me to the Moon

 

Mr.
Fry Me to the Moon, 1998
watercolor, gouache and pen on paper

 

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1969   Born: Cupa, Japan
1996   Graduated from the Sokei Academy of Fine Art and Design, Japan
2009   Lehmann Maupin, New York, NY (solo)
VRAOUM, La Maison Rouge, Paris, France
2008   Nobody Dies, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France (solo)
Nobody Dies, Lehmann Maupin, New York, NY (solo)
2007   Red Hot: Contemporary Asian Art Rising, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York (solo)
2006   Rising Sun, Melting Moon, Israel Museum Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Roppongi Hills Show, Roppongi Hills, Tokyo, Japan
10th Anniversary Collection, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
MOCA, Lyon, France (solo)
NIN-Stealth, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Miami, FL (solo)
2005   Kaikai Kiki exhibition, Aoi Gallery, Osaka, Japan
AniMate. , Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Japan
AniMate., Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Corea
2004   Thank You For Your Hard Work, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin at LFL Gallery, New York, NY
Japanese Experience Inevitable, Museum der Moderne Salzbrug, Vienna, Austria
2003   Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin at LFL Gallery, New York, NY
T-junction, a collaboration with Chiho Aoshima and Aya Takano for Issey Miyaké, by Naoki Takizawa at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
Hope-The-Future is in Our hands, LAFORET Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
Mr.vs.Shintaro Miyake Exhibition, NADiff , Tokyo
Opening Exhibition, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
2002   Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
NADiff, Tokyo, Japan
Osaka Art Fair, Aoi Gallery, Osaka, Japan
GEISAI Tokyo Tower Amusement Hall, Tokyo
Coloriage, Foundation Cartier pour l'art Contemporain, Paris, France
2001   Yokai Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation, Des Moine ArtCenter, Des Moine, Iowa, Brooklyen Museum, New York, NY
Hiropon Show, White Cube Gallery, London, UK
Superflat, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
The Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH
Tampa Museum of Art, Tempa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL
SUPER FLAT , MOCA Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Henry Art Gallery, Art Museum of the University of Washington, Seattle
Nano Galerie, Paris, France
2000   Super Flat, PARCO Gallery, Tokyo ; Nagoya, Japan
lo-fi/HIGH-TECH , Vedanta Gallery, Chicago, IL
L'Art dans le Mondo Pont Alexandre III, Les Muses de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
1999   Attention Spam, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Hiropon Show, PO+KU Art Revolution, Logos Gallery, Tokyo
Sampling , Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY
Hiropon Show, Parco Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Hiropon Show, Nadiff, Tokyo, Japan
1998   Ero Pop Tokyo, George`s, Los Angeles, CA
Ero Pop Christmas, NADiff, Tokyo, Japan
Mr., Painter of Alps, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (solo)
Oh-Edo Kunoichi Ninpocho, Shop 33, Tokyo, Japan (solo)
1997   Tokyo Sex, NAS, Tokyo, Japan
Hiropon Show, Shop 33, Tokyo, Japan
Hiropon Show, Iwaaya Z-side, Kyusyu, Japan
Hiropon Show, Galerie Manken, Kanazawa, Japan
Aoi Gallery, Osaka, Japan
1996   Frone & Perrine '97, Shop 33, Tokyo, Japan
Pico Pico Show, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Japan