Gauntlet Gallery — Takashi Murakami Print Index
Coffee Blues (Black)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Coffee Blues (Black) is a 2020 silkscreen printed not on paper but on a used paper coffee filter, issued in an edition of 50 (plus 15 AP and 15 SP) through Takashi Murakami's Tonari no Zingaro. At roughly 29 by 30 cm, the small sheet carries the stains of an actual filter beneath the ink, collapsing the boundary between everyday residue and finished artwork in a deliberately intimate, offbeat register.
Collector notes: Afternoon; saved release record states an edition size of 50. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The choice of a used coffee filter as substrate is the whole point: Murakami takes a disposable domestic object marked by real use and elevates it to a signed, editioned print. It extends his long-running Superflat interrogation of high versus low culture into the texture of daily life, and reads as a quieter, more conceptual gesture than his familiar flower and character imagery, rewarding collectors who value the artist's experimental edges.
Collector Perspective
With only 50 numbered impressions plus AP and SP tiers, the run is genuinely small for Murakami. Because each filter carries its own staining, no two sheets are truly identical, adding a one-of-a-kind quality unusual in editioned work. Condition is the watchword here: the filter substrate is fragile and stain-prone by nature, so framing, handling and provenance from the Tonari no Zingaro release matter more than usual.
Historical Context
Tonari no Zingaro is Murakami's own gallery and print outlet in Nakano, Tokyo, through which he releases limited works, often in playful or experimental formats, directly to collectors. Coffee Blues sits within his broader practice of mining the objects and rituals of ordinary Japanese life. The 2020 dating places it in a period when Murakami leaned further into intimate, small-format, object-based experiments alongside his large-scale commercial output.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2020
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 29 x 30 cm; Silkscreen on used paper coffee filter.
- Edition details
- Afternoon; saved release record states an edition size of 50.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Takashi Murakami's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2020 and attributes the edition to Tonari No Zingaro.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Tonari No Zingaro. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- Kaikai Kiki — official studio site — Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official studio/company site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- Takashi Murakami — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Takashi Murakami (Q352437) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What is Coffee Blues (Black) printed on?
It is a silkscreen printed directly onto a used paper coffee filter, not conventional printmaking paper. The filter's existing coffee stains remain visible beneath the ink, making the everyday object itself part of the work.
How large is the edition?
The main edition is 50, supplemented by 15 artist's proofs (AP) and 15 SP impressions, for a small total run issued through Tonari no Zingaro.
Who published it and when?
It was released in 2020 by Tonari no Zingaro, Takashi Murakami's own gallery and limited-edition outlet in Nakano, Tokyo.
Are all the sheets identical?
No. Because each impression sits on an individual used coffee filter with its own staining pattern, the substrate varies from sheet to sheet even though the printed image is consistent.
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