The definitive book on the life and career of internationally acclaimed artist Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, a star in a generation of avant-garde Japanese artists associated with the neo-Pop ‘Superflat' movement. This book, made in close collaboration with Nara himself, explores more than three decades of his work - and is the first truly authoritative monograph on the artist in more than a decade. Written by art historian Yeewan Koon and featuring texts by Nara himself, it includes his most recent work in painting, drawing, sculpture, and ceramics.

About the Authors:

Yoshitomo Nara graduated with a master's from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music and later studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. He is represented by Pace Gallery and Blum & Poe.

Yeewan Koon is associate professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Hong Kong, teaching Chinese and Japanese art history. In 2018 she was selected to curate the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea.

Follow the trajectory of Yoshitomo Nara, one of the most prominent contemporary artists, whose work has grown in complexity and nuance over the past three decades.

Thirty years after Yoshitomo Nara rocketed to fame with his paintings of sinister figures, the artist has developed his practice to reflect his unique, empathic eye. This book presents the full range of Nara’s work. Along with his most recognizable pieces, such as his ubiquitous portraits of wide-eyed figures on monochromatic backgrounds, readers will discover his earliest paintings, sketched on surfaces ranging from envelopes to cardboard made during his time in Germany, as well as an installation that re-creates his drawing studio. His most recent works are also represented, including his large-scale bronze and ceramic figurines and portraits made following the 2011 earthquake that devastated Japan. Comparing and contrasting these pieces through Nara’s distinctive musical lens, the catalogue also features “liner notes” written by the artist about various albums in his personal collection, published in English for the first time. Viewers will see the evolution of a dynamic artist who has become more contemplative with age.

About the Author:

Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most popular and influential artists of his generation. His work has been featured in more than forty exhibitions around the world. He lives in Tochigi, Japan.

Created in partnership with Asia Society Museum in conjunction with a major retrospective, this is the first comprehensive monograph on the work of art superstar Yoshitomo Nara. It assembles 20 years worth of paintings, sculptures, and drawings that map the evolution of one of the most influential and internationally renowned artists working today. The book and exhibition will draw connections between Nara’s work and the sensibilities of youth subcultures worldwide, focusing on themes of alienation and rebellion, particularly in relation to rock and punk music, the inspiration and subject of many of Nara’s works. Featuring artworks that have never before been exhibited, this is the book Nara’s legion of devoted followers have been waiting for.

About the Author:

Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most popular and influential artists of his generation. His work has been featured in more than forty exhibitions around the world. He lives in Tochigi, Japan.