Yoshitomo Nara

by Mika Yoshitake (Editor), Yoshitomo Nara (Artist), Michael Govan (Contributor)

Three decades of the beloved Japanese artist’s paintings, drawings, sculptures and more Yoshitomo Nara is among the most beloved Japanese artists of his generation. His widely recognizable portraits of menacing figures reflect the artist’s raw encounters with his inner self. Nara’s oeuvre takes inspiration from a wide range of resources―memories of his childhood, music, literature, studying and living in Germany (1988–2000), exploring his roots in Japan, Sakhalin and Asia, and modern art from Europe and Japan.

Spanning 35 years (1985 to 2020), this book―which accompanies the major career retrospective organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art―presents the full range of Nara’s work. It also examines the artist’s work through the lens of his longtime passion―music―and features “liner notes” written by the artist about various albums in his personal collection of 1960s and 70s folk and rock albums, published in English for the first time.

The book features paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramic figures, an installation that re-creates his drawing studio, and never-before-exhibited idea sketches that reflect the artist’s empathic eye, shining a light on Nara’s conceptual process. Readers will see the evolution of a dynamic artist who has become more contemplative with age.

Yoshitomo Nara was born in 1959 in Aomori, Japan, and graduated with a master's degree from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music and later studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In the fall of 2010, the Asia Society in New York presented the first major New York exhibition of his work. He is represented by Pace Gallery and Blum & Poe.

Genres: Art, Coffee Table Books

223 pages, Hardcover

Published October 12, 2021

Reviews

[Mai M Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

حلو اووووي 😍
يعتبر مصدر الهام مهم وتغذية بصرية للفنانين
هصوره وانزله ع قناة "عن الفن" ع اليوتيوب 👇
@3nelfn

[Kaoru Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a catalogue for LACMA exhibit for Yoshitomo Nara. I got it in advance for my trip to L.A.. The exhibit was planned to open in April 2020 and of course it did not happen. Nara flew to L.A. and after two weeks of self quarantine, he helped LACMA put together the exhibit. I followed his journey via twitter. The set up took less than a week and since then the exhibit has been waiting for the patrons to visit the museum. Finally it opened in April 2021. I'm super excited to see the collection in person. I'm happy to add this book/catalogue in my Nara collection (books, not his art!).

[Sungyena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A prize. So much detail in Nara exhibitions that must be pored through in book format afterwards. Best part is his column on record covers - I didn’t know Joni Mitchell’s album covers were self drawn, either! 🤯 “Truly the epitome of an artist overflowing with expression.” I appreciated the interesting varied papers and binding used, reflecting his textured painting grounds.

[Jazz Brimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

my obsession

[margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect coffee table book for girls who still use tumblr.