Auction house Christie's is teaming up with Takashi Murakami and Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., to provide support for the victims of the March 11, 2011, Tohoku-Pacific earthquake in Japan. Artist Takashi Murakami will select the artists who will donate their works to the relief effort in an upcoming auction to be held in New York City. An announcement with complete details for the auction will be made in early fall. What is known at this point is that the artists contributing are some of the biggest names in contemporary art.

"Those of us who live, work and share connections with Japan have been witness to a series of horrible events that will leave an indelible mark on the country for years to come. For myself, I first responded with the New Day project, in which artists provided encouragement to the victims by submitting works through the internet. Now, we aim to take this effort to a higher level," said Takashi Murakami, in a prepared statement.

"The past months have already seen the rise of many such projects around the world. But as a Japanese artist working inside the global contemporary art community, I possessed the strong realization that we must contribute something of our own initiative. The support and encouragement of Mr. François Pinault and Christie's has been vital in helping to reach that goal. I hope through this project to send a message to the people in the damage-struck areas that we are still with them and will continue to provide support."

Kaikai Kiki is an art company led by Takashi Murakami. The firm, which began as Murakami's personal administrative office, is now involved in the management and promotion of artists worldwide.

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James Rothaar

James has written content for Justluxe.com and other leading online luxury lifestyle magazines. Rothaar previously served as the senior-tenured staff writer for JustLuxe, having worked with the digital magazine since 2005. He resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and works as an independent marketing consultant and freelance writer and copywriter. He is the co-owner of Wild Owl Digital, a boutique mar...(Read More)