Takashi Murakami Comes Under Fire For Sniping His Own Rare NFTs

NFT Twitter is accusing artist Takashi Murakami of allegedly sniping his own rare NFTs. Additionally, NFT Twitter is blaming Murakami for inflating the floor price of his Murakami.Flowers collection.

Twitter users have pointed out that it is unethical for owners to buy all the rares before the metadata has even been updated on Opensea; especially when most of the collection’s NFTs are still unminted. Takashi Murakami may have done so to set a floor price and increase the hype. However, many have compared it to companies buying their own shares. On the other hand, early buyers will undoubtedly make a good short-term profit. This is because they will benefit from the hype and increased floor price.

Others questioned how Twitter user @thatguygeo concluded the sniper was indeed Takashi Murakami. So far, Murakami hasn’t responded to the allegations.

Who is Takashi Murakami?

Takashi Murakami is an acclaimed artist, famous for his “Superflat” aesthetic. This is a colourful, 2D style that takes influences from pop culture and fine art. Furthermore, the Murakami style combines anime, ukiyo-e woodcuts and Japanese nihonga.

Murakami’s work often features bears, a Mickey Mouse-style character Mr DOB, and smiling flowers. In addition to his NFTs’ popularity, top museums such as the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, MoMA PS1 and Mori Art Museum have exhibited Takasi Murakami’s work.

His latest collection, Murakami.Flowers, features number 108 as the key design element. In addition, in this collection, Takashi Murakami features the flower as dot art inspired by Japanese television games of the 1970s.

Recently, Takashi Murakami, RTFKT Studios and Crown Collection announced their collaboration in the form of CloneX Chains. The limited-edition chains are only available to Murakami and the RTFKT team.