Yoshitomo NARA
Japanese 1959
Nara was born in Hirosaki, a village located in the northern prefecture of Aomori, Japan. After obtaining a Masters in Fine Arts from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music in Nagoya, Japan in 1987, Nara moved to Germany to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, from which he graduated in 1993. Until 2000, Nara continued to live and work in Germany before returning to Japan, and is currently based out of Tokyo. Nara’s artwork primarily features depictions of children with oversized heads, in a style directly influenced by children’s book illustrations. His children are often sullen and angry, imbued with the angst and rebellion of Nara’s Punk rock influence. Nara’s work spans a diverse range of media, from postcards to canvas paintings to three-dimensional sculptural works, and has acquired a cult-like following as varied as his methods.
Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
The British Museum, London, England
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA
Neues Museum, Nuremberg, Germany
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Malaga, Malaga, Spain
“Wonder Room” Space to Space, Nagoya, Japan, 1984
“Harmlos” Kinderspielhaus, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1991
“Pacific Babies” Blum & Poe, Santa Monica, California, USA, 1995
“No They Didn’t” Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, 1999
“Walk On” the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA，2000
“Who Snatched the Babies?” CNEAI, Chatou, France, 2002
“From the Depth of My Drawer” Toured in Japan and Korea, 2004-2005
“Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody’s Fool” Asia Society Museum, New York, 2010
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Untitled
1999
Marker pen on paper
29 x 22 cm
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Estimate
600,000 - 800,000 154,000 - 206,000 19,700 - 26,300 136,000 - 182,000
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Sold Price
1,200,000 304,569 38,923 270,270
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I am Alone
2003
Lithograph, edition 41/75
66 x 50 cm
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Estimate
700,000 - 900,000 180,000 - 231,000 23,000 - 29,600 159,000 - 205,000
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Sold Price
1,080,000 274,112 35,031 243,243
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Untitled
2009
Colored pencil and crayon on paper
33.7 x 24.4 cm
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Estimate
6,000,000 - 7,000,000 1,542,000 - 1,799,000 197,300 - 230,200 1,364,000 - 1,591,000
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Sold Price
7,200,000 1,827,411 233,539 1,621,622
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Cosmic Girl Eyes (Open / Close) (a set of 2)
2008
Print, edition of 500
68 x 48 cm (each)
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Estimate
100,000 - 200,000 26,000 - 51,000 3,300 - 6,600 23,000 - 45,000
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Sold Price
504,000 127,919 16,348 113,514
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No Fun! (In the Floating World)
1997
Print, edition 21/50
41.5 x 29.5 cm
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Estimate
130,000 - 220,000 33,000 - 57,000 4,300 - 7,200 30,000 - 50,000
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Sold Price
264,000 67,005 8,563 59,459
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Untitled
2002
C-print, edition 1/50
29.4 x 19.3 cm
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Estimate
130,000 - 220,000 33,000 - 57,000 4,300 - 7,200 30,000 - 50,000
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Time Goes On
2002-2004
Aquatint, edition 31/52
48 × 38 cm
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Estimate
130,000 - 220,000 33,000 - 57,000 4,300 - 7,200 30,000 - 50,000
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Sold Price
144,000 36,548 4,671 32,432
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Hardboiled Hard Luck
Marker pen on paper
19.5 x 14.5 cm
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Estimate
260,000 - 360,000 67,000 - 93,000 8,500 - 11,800 59,000 - 82,000
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Sold Price
456,000 115,736 14,791 102,703
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Doggy Radio x RIMOWA
2011
Fiberglass, edition 28/200 (radio); aluminium (suitcase)
43(L) x 22.5(W) x 29.5(H) cm (radio)
53.5(L) x 27.5(W) x 42.5(H) cm (suitcase) |
Estimate
300,000 - 400,000 77,000 - 103,000 9,900 - 13,200 68,000 - 91,000
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Sold Price
1,320,000 335,025 42,815 297,297
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Slash with a Knife
2001
Watch, metal case, limited edition of 500
23(L) x 4.2(W) x 1.5(H) cm (watch)
22.5(L) x 16.7(W) x 3.4(H) cm (box) |
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 13,000 - 19,000 1,700 - 2,400 11,000 - 15,000
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Sold Price
84,000 22,105 2,815
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