Takashi Murakami at Versailles

Interview with Takashi Murakami 村上 隆 at the occasion of his exhibition at the Chateau de Versailles near Paris, France. Interview and video by Christophe Ecoffet.

After Jeff Koons in 2008 and Xavier Veilhan in 2009, this year Takashi Murakami takes over the Château de Versailles. It's Takashi Murakami's first major retrospective in France. VernissageTV correspondent Christophe Ecoffet met the artist in the garden of the palace for an exclusive interview.

On display in the 15 rooms of the Château and in the gardens are 22 major works, 11 of them have been created exclusively for this exhibition. According to the curator of the show, Laurent Le Bon, Murakami Versailles "is a walk, a trail throughout the "landscape area" of Versailles... The general public will be able to view and admire his creations, which are often technical masterpieces. The allegories and other myths of Versailles thus carry on a dialogue with the dreamlike creatures of Takashi Murakami, sometimes inspired by traditional Japanes art."

Among the works presented to the public for the first time are the giant "Oval Buddha" on the Water Parterre in the garden, "Flower Matango" in the Hall of Mirrors, and "Yume Lion (The Dream Lion) in the Apollo Salon of the Château.