The Erotic Sculpture That Set Takashi Murakami's Auction Record

Takashi Murakami's My Lonesome Cowboy (1998) sold for $15.16m at Sotheby's in New York on May 14, 2008. The oil acrylic fiberglass and iron work had not been traded before. The sculpture is an edition of three plus two artist's proofs.

Murakami's raunchy male nude made its debut in the Japanese artist's solo exhibition at the Blum & Poe gallery in Los Angeles in 1998, which coincided with two shows in Tokyo. Together they helped launch the artist's signature, Superflat movement, which draws on anime, manga and traditional Japanese art

The artist juxtaposed Japan’s cute aesthetic and eroticism to create his monumental work, which stands more than 2.5 metres tall.

Murakami later described the work as "stupid" but he also said its $15m sale price meant he realised "the importance of creating art that people truly want".

Another edition of My Lonesome Cowboy is in the Pinault Collection and it featured in the artist's 2007-08 survey show, which opened at MOCA Los Angeles before traveling to the Brooklyn Museum.

Murakami also produced a limited edition print of the provocative nude, which was published by his art company Kaikai Kiki.

The sale beat the artist’s previous auction record by $12.44m, a 400% rise. His previous record was set by Panda (2003), which sold for $2.72m at Phillips de Pury & Company on April 3, 2008.

A Brief History of Murakami at Auction