By Gianna Barberia, Lifestyle Editor
“Night at the Museum” became a reality on Friday when the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) opened its doors for a nighttime party and exhibit preview. The event, called “MFA Late Nites,” is the museum’s new seasonal series that aims to connect “visitors to art, culture and community,” as stated on the MFA’s website.
The MFA’s brightly lit exterior matched the lively interior. The walls shone in rainbow colors inside the Shapiro Family Courtyard, which featured a dance floor, DJ and Japanese street food vendors.
The event also gave guests a sneak peek of the museum’s latest exhibit, “Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics.”
“It’s our big fall exhibition, [and] we wanted to make a statement that the public is the first to see the show,” said the MFA’s Chief Brand Officer and Deputy Director Katie Getchell. “Art is for everyone.”
This theme of inclusion carried throughout the event, with activities such as “Manga Nite Out with Anime Boston” and “OompOutLoud Presents: A Rap Slam” showcasing Boston’s diversity. The latter event featured a 15-minute set from Northeastern alumnus Cliff Notez, who received a master’s degree in digital media from the university in 2016. Notez is the founder and creative director of the media company HipStory and was the Vox Pop Poetry Slam Champion in 2016.
“I’m from Boston originally, and I’ve always looked at [the MFA] from afar,” Notez said. “Museums are historically white spaces, but now I’m here performing … this is dope.”
The new exhibit was the focus of the night, however. Murakami, the artist behind Kanye West’s “Graduation” album art and “Good Morning” music video, is often referred to as the Japanese Andy Warhol. Featuring a mix of traditional, centuries-old artwork and Murakami’s playful and colorful designs, such as his signature monster and alter-ego “Mr. DOB,” the exhibit displayed how Japanese art has transformed over the years.
“I’m always trying to find new audiences for Japanese art,” said Anne Nishimura Morse, the William and Helen Pounds senior curator of Japanese art.
Many of the older artworks showcased in the exhibit were influential to Murakami. For instance, “Shaka, the Historical Buddha,” from the late 10th-early to 11th century Japan, inspired Murakami’s sprightly statue “Oval Buddha Silver,” which has two enlarged heads.
However, Murakami said his greatest influence is Professor Nobuo Tsuji, a Japanese art historian who wrote the book “Kiso no Keifu (The Lineage of Eccentricity),” which Murakami said was his Bible.
“He is my master, my mentor,” Murakami said in Japanese through a translator. “I couldn’t have done this without Professor Tsuji kicking my [expletive].”
Although Murakami is trained in traditional painting and art forms, he said he elected to “break out” and create something more unique. He also said that his art is not as well-liked in Japan as it is in the United States, so he is honored by all of the praise he has received.
“I feel very humbled,” Murakami said. “When I’m put next to these masterpieces, I feel shrunken and humbled.”
“Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics” is on display at the MFA from Oct. 18 to April 1 at the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery.
