Takashi Murakami for Children’s National Hospital
Takashi Murakami for Children’s National Hospital
Takashi Murakami for Children’s National Hospital
Takashi Murakami for Children’s National Hospital
Takashi Murakami for Children’s National Hospital

RxART is thrilled to have worked with Takashi Murakami on a project for the CT/PET Scan Suite at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Murakami created a vibrant landscape of flowers and clouds that was translated into a wrap for the CT/PET scanner, which was previously stark and often frightening to the patients. Murakami’s iconic pattern of intricate, smiling flowers was also fabricated as wall coverings that surround the CT/PET Scan Suite. The project has turned the once intimidating room into an uplifting space, in an effort to alleviate the anxiety that many patients feel when they receive scans. Approximately 220 PET and 2,290 CT scans are performed annually at Children’s National. Pediatric patients of all ages are scanned in this unit: neonates, toddlers, young children, adolescents, and young adults.

RxART produces every project at no cost to the hospital and each commissioned artist is provided an honorarium and the chance to change children’s lives as they heal. Our thanks to Robert & Aimee Lehrman, Gagosian, and donors to the Iana dos Reis Nunes Fund for generously supporting the Takashi Murakami project. For more information on RxART’s projects and how to support them, please contact 212-260-8797 or Megan Skidmore: megan_skidmore@rxart.net.

Children’s National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., was established in 1870 to help every child grow up stronger. Today, it is among the nation’s top 10 children’s hospitals. It is ranked No. 1 for newborn care for the fifth straight year, as of 2022 it is ranked #5 in the nation, and ranked in all specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Children’s National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. The Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus opened in 2021, a first-of-its-kind pediatric hub dedicated to developing new and better ways to care for kids. Children’s National has been designated three times in a row as a Magnet® hospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty care locations in the D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia. Children’s National is home to the Children’s National Research Institute and Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.

Artwork: © Takashi Murakami / Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd., All rights reserved. Photos by Kenson Noel.