PERRIER Carbonated Mineral Water, a brand of Nestlé Waters North America, Stamford, Conn., announced the release of PERRIER x MURAKAMI, a collaboration with renowned artist Takashi Murakami, inspired by the pop and colorful universe of the artist and the creative and pioneering spirit of PERRIER. In October, limited-edition PERRIER screen-printed glass bottles featuring original artwork by Murakami launched around the world.

In early 2021, the full PERRIER Original range will be released in the colors and motifs of Murakami, and sold at retailers nationwide.

Murakami is the latest artist to have fun restyling the PERRIER brand. The PERRIER x MURAKAMI collaboration continues the long-standing creative relationship between PERRIER and artists. Over its 150-year history, the brand has collaborated with some of the world's most influential artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Bernard Villemot, Raymond Savignac, Carlu and Jean-Gabriel Domergue, all of whom created trailblazing posters and artworks for the brand.

Murakami's signature smiling flowers will bring an extra pop of color and joy to the iconic green PERRIER bottles, in screen-printed glass formats, the company says. Some bottles also will feature Murakami's most beloved characters, Kaikai and Kiki, who also will appear alongside PERRIER in a 30-second animated film, produced with Murakami. Additional product formats, including cans, will launch in early 2021.

“"When PERRIER first approached me, I felt extremely lucky to have the opportunity to collaborate with this sparkling water brand with such a long history,” Murakami said in a statement. “It held many positive associations for me. For example, when I was 32 and started living in New York, I used to drink PERRIER a lot. Even further back, though, I have another very strong memory: I was on the first romantic date of my life at age 18 with a girl two years my senior. We went to a place in Ginza and I ordered a bottle of PERRIER, mistaking it for alcohol. I remember it all so clearly — especially how confused I felt when I didn't feel any alcohol effects after drinking many glasses.

“PERRIER for me is closely associated first with the color green — of course — and then, with the pleasant bubbling sound of carbonation. I'm grateful to be part of the brand's expanding views and future-facing concepts through this collaboration,” he continued. “I also wonder if today, when we can no longer unthinkingly hug, kiss, or shake hands, perhaps the stimulating sensation of the PERRIER bubbles on our tongues will be even more heightened, as one of the enjoyable tactile experiences still available to us. I am delighted to be part of this collaboration with PERRIER and I hope that together, we can heighten that sense of relationship further, sharing a little more joy and hope for the future."

Murakami is considered one of the most important Japanese artists of our generation, and even, Japan's superstar artist, the company says. Drawing from traditional Japanese paintings, sci-fi, anime, and the global art market, Murakami creates paintings, sculptures and films populated by repeated motifs and mutating characters of his own creation. His wide-ranging work embodies an intersection of pop culture, history, and fine art, merging the commercial and fine art realms and flattening the distinction between high and low culture, it adds.

“Takashi Murakami is one of the most prominent contemporary living artists in the world,” said Paul Cordina, global communications manager for PERRIER, in a statement. “He has succeeded in creating art that is both accessible and deeply considered, with a flair for what is most fresh and most pertinent to the widest audience. The vibrancy and delight of Murakami's work is the perfect match for PERRIER, a brand that has invested for over a century in creativity to bring out a differentiating brand spirit, tinged with its unexpected, crazy and original personality.

“The brand has inspired and collaborated with some of the world's most famous and distinguished artists, such as Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, Raymond Savignac and Bernard Villemot, who have each in their own way established a touch of artistic irreverence, providing them a space of expression in the identity of PERRIER,” he continued. “We hope that this collaboration, inspired by the pop and colorful universe of Takashi Murakami and the creative spirit of PERRIER, will increase the accessibility of art for an even broader global audience.”

While he is most popularly associated with the smiling flower motif and bright, playful imagery, Murakami's wider body of work often engages with challenging, serious themes, communicated through a highly intricate and multi-layered pictorial language, according the company.