Artist
Yoshitomo Nara

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About
When acclaimed Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara was growing up in rural Honshu, Disney cartoons and album covers provided his first artistic inspiration (his own work has since been featured on record covers for artists including REM). These influences are evident in his cartoonish signature portraits of children – often featuring sly expressions, sticking-out tongues, expletives or weapons in a startling juxtaposition. As Nara’s career has progressed, his work has taken on a more contemplative aura, with milk-white sculptures, folkish ceramics and softer paintings in earthy colours reflecting his interest in the Shinto religion.
Artworks
Info
Did you know?
Nara experienced a well-publicised creative block in response to 2011’s Tohoku Earthquake.
Country of Birth
Japan
Auction Record
$25,000,000
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 'Knife Behind Back', 2019
Notable Collections
MoMA, New York, USA
The Hara Museum Collection, Tokyo, JP
Notable Exhibitions
Yoshitomo Nara, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA, 2020
For Better or Worse, The Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Toyota, Aichi, JP, 2017
Thinker, Pace Gallery, New York, USA, 2017
Exhibitions by Yoshitomo Nara
Yoshitomo Nara Editorial

Art Market
Big In Japan
18 Nov 2021