Yoshitomo Nara
| Yoshitomo Nara, 奈良美智 | |
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| Born |
5 December 1959 Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Germany Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Nagakute Aichi, Japan |
| Known for | Painting |
| Awards | Award for Artist, Nagoya, Japan, 1995 |
Yoshitomo Nara (奈良 美智 Nara Yoshitomo?, born 5 December 1959 in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Tokyo, though his artwork has been exhibited worldwide. Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions since 1984. Also, his pop art is evaluated in the world. His art work was housed in MOMA and Museum of Contemporary Art(MOCA) in LA. His drawing and painting are well known with a girl who has staring eyes with acrylic paint.
Nara received his B.F.A. (1985) and an M.F.A. (1987) from the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music. Between 1988 and 1993, Nara studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, in Germany.
"Nara first came to the fore of the art world during Japan’s Pop art movement in the 1990s. The subject matter of his sculptures and paintings is deceptively simple: most works depict one seemingly innocuous subject (often pastel-hued children and animals drawn with confident, cartoonish lines) with little or no background. But these children, who appear at first to be cute and even vulnerable, sometimes brandish weapons like knives and saws. Their wide eyes often hold accusatory looks that could be sleepy-eyed irritation at being awoken from a nap—or that could be undiluted expressions of hate."
Nara, however, does not see his weapon-wielding subjects as aggressors. "Look at them, they [the weapons] are so small, like toys. Do you think they could fight with those?" he says. "I don’t think so. Rather, I kind of see the children among other, bigger, bad people all around them, who are holding bigger knives…" Lauded by art critics, Nara’s bizarrely intriguing works have gained him a cult following around the world. In June, 2005, Nara's artwork was featured in the album titled "Suspended Animation" by experimental band Fantômas. Other commercial products (including videos, books, magazines, catalogues and monographs) have been dedicated to Nara’s work. Recently, a two-volume catalogue raisonné of all his sculptures, paintings, and drawings was completed.
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