From 1661, King Louis XIV wanted to transform a hunting lodge in Versailles into a stately royal palace. Over the following decades, the building was extended and transformed into not only a beautiful palace, but also into the centre of political power and the home of the royal family. All this changed, however, when the French Revolution happened in 1789. Many years have passed, and the Royal Palace is now a UNESCO heritage site. Many millions have been spent restoring the palace interiors & especially the gardens to their former glory. So picture this... Japanese artist Takashi Murakami was invited to display his colourful sculptures within the palace for a limited time only. The results were quite remarkable... and I'm going to sound a bit poncy here, but what we have is a juxtaposition of modern and classical artistic styles. Crucially, it worked, and both the exhibition and the Palace itself were a joy to behold. The photos were taken mid-November 2010.

ABOVE: It was a misty morning in Versailles that day, which added an eeerie beauty to the surroundings. The mist gave the exterior pictures of The Royal Court a soft painting-like quality. BELOW: Murakami's Tongari-kun in The Hercules Salon.

ABOVE: Bling Bling! The Oval Buddha silver sits very comfortably into its surroundings, which is ironically called The Abundance Salon. Quite. On the right, Pom & Me is a piece representing the artist and his happy little doggy. This wassituated inside The Diana Salon. BELOW: Two of pieces on show in The Venus Salon: Kaikai & Kiki. Niiice :)

BELOW: Jellyfish Eyes: Saki, Max & Shimon & Tatsuya. On display in The Mars Salon.

ABOVE & LEFT: Kinoko isu or schrooms as I like to call 'em. These were on display in The Mercury Salon. The pic on the left is a combination of several pictures, which will explain the fisheye quality . BELOW: Yume Lion aka The Dream Lion is the mascot/logo for local TV station Tokyo MX in Japan. Presented here in The Apollo Salon with added bling!

Murakami Page 2

J- WWG Home