SFX IMAGE BANK ONLINE: Palace Of Versailles Goes Manga

Respected Japanese artist Takashi Murakami spooks tourists with some amazing manga creations at the Palace of Versailles

Tourists at France’s historic Palace Of Versailles are currently discovering something a bit different to the usual dusty stone busts, old masters, Rococo-framed mirrors and gilt-Louis XIV banister knobs (or whatever) in the stately grounds. They’re coming face to face instead with golden aliens, smiley flower carpets and giant, plastic pointy-hatted anime dudes.That’s because acclaimed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has installed some wonderfully-incongruous manga-inspired sculptures around the ground and in the palace itself, which are meeting with a, um, mixed reception. Actually, of the guys interviewed on the BBC news report we saw, the French tourists seemed intrigued with it all, but the Americans were more of the opinion, “Hey, we flew across the Atlantic to see culture, not this s**t!” Personally, we love ’em.

Dave Golder
Freelance Writer

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.