Cream

An almost abstract pattern imitating pink-tinted spurts spreads out on the flat surface of a short, bright blue background. The work borrows its division into several panels and lack of perspective, instead emphasizing ornamental motifs, including figurative ones, from Japanese screens.

Takashi Murakami conceived this work in conjunction with the polyptych Milk, which is different because of its pink background. It reflects the so-called superflat style he invented, formally exaggerating the painting’s flatness and incorporating various motifs from Japanese subcultures, from consumerism to sexual fetishism.

Cream is in the Pinault Collection. With Milk and other works featuring hyper-sexualised figures, it adds a new, suggestive dimension to decorative motifs. It was exhibited at the 2009 "Mapping the Studio" show at the Punta della Dogana.