Yoshitomo Nara
Yoshitomo Nara
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. A peripatetic traveler, 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 over 30 years from 1987 to 2020, Yoshitomo Nara views the artist’s work through the lens of his longtime passion—music. Featuring album covers Nara began collecting as an adolescent, paintings, drawings, sculpture, ceramics, an installation that recreates his drawing studio, and never-before-exhibited idea sketches that reflect the artist’s empathic eye, this exhibition shines a light on Nara’s conceptual process. One of the main highlights will be Miss Forest, a 26-foot outdoor painted bronze sculpture that will grace Wilshire Boulevard.
This exhibition is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Principal sponsorship is provided by
Major support is provided by Mr. Zoltan and Mrs. Tamara Varga, London; Andrew Xue, Singapore; Blum & Poe; and Pace Gallery.
Generous support is provided by Rochelle and Irving Azoff, Andre Sakhai, Sally and Ralph Tawil, and
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Meredith and David Kaplan, with generous annual funding from Terry and Lionel Bell, Kevin J. Chen, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Lenore and Richard Wayne, Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
The opening reception is supported by Christie’s.
Yoshitomo Nara, Peace of Mind, 2019, © Yoshitomo Nara 2019, photo by Keizo Kioku, courtesy of the artist. Collection of Andrew Xue.
- Apr 1, 2021–Jan 2, 2022
- BCAM, Level 2
This exhibition is organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Principal sponsorship is provided by
Major support is provided by Mr. Zoltan and Mrs. Tamara Varga, London; Andrew Xue, Singapore; Blum & Poe; and Pace Gallery.
Generous support is provided by Rochelle and Irving Azoff, Andre Sakhai, Sally and Ralph Tawil, and
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
All exhibitions at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Exhibition Fund. Major annual support is provided by Meredith and David Kaplan, with generous annual funding from Terry and Lionel Bell, Kevin J. Chen, Louise and Brad Edgerton, Edgerton Foundation, Emily and Teddy Greenspan, Marilyn B. and Calvin B. Gross, Mary and Daniel James, David Lloyd and Kimberly Steward, Kelsey Lee Offield, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Lee Shaw, Lenore and Richard Wayne, Marietta Wu and Thomas Yamamoto, and The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
The opening reception is supported by Christie’s.
Yoshitomo Nara, Peace of Mind, 2019, © Yoshitomo Nara 2019, photo by Keizo Kioku, courtesy of the artist. Collection of Andrew Xue.
Media
In this short video curator Mika Yoshitake shares a few highlights of the exhibition as well as excerpts from her July 2020 conversation with the artist.
When listening inside the exhibition, please be considerate of others and use headphones.