THERE IS A SONG by Sam Cooke that begins “Don’t know much about history, don’t know much biology, …”. Well, I do know something about both history and biology, but I do not know much, if anything, about Japanese art history. It turns out that this is not a great impediment if you wish to enjoy an exhibition showing at the Gagosian Gallery in Mayfair’s Grosvenor Hill until 8 March 2025. The visually spectacular show is called “Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami”.

Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo, where he lives and works. Apart from being a painter and a sculptor, he is also, as Wikipedia explained, involved in:

“… commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts.”

Many of the paintings in the exhibition at Gagosian are Murakami’s own interpretations of various styles used by Japanese painters in the past. Others gave me the impression of being less historically inspired, but more whimsically contemporary. The exhibition as a whole and in detail is a feast for the eyes. These beautifully executed, often intricately detailed, creations are joyous and uplifting. Maybe, if I knew more about the history of art in Japan, I would have gained even greater enjoyment from seeing them, but in this exhibition, the sentence ‘ignorance is bliss’ is certainly not inapplicable.