He is vigorously, ingeniously self-promotional. In the past few years, Murakami has swept across the US and Europe, receiving fawning media attention and exhibiting at big-name museums. Just shy of 42, the charismatic artist even lives and works in what he calls a factory. How much more Warhol can you get?

But there’s a key difference. Warhol took from the low and gave to the high. With ironic detachment, his work – paintings few could afford, films few could understand – appealed to an audience in on the joke. Murakami, on the other hand, takes from the low and gives to the high, the low, and everything in between.