Text by Mika Yoshitake, Shigemi Takahashi, Lucia Agirre.
Sweet yet sinister, Nara's paintings of children and animals are beloved the world over for their punchy iconography and punk-rock spirit
This definitive monograph spans 40 years, from 1984 to the present day, in the career of the iconic artist, shedding light on Nara’s conceptual process through paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and installations that reflect his empathetic vision of the world around him. Published in conjunction with the epochal exhibition at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, this eponymous monograph divides Nara’s oeuvre into three chronological periods, beginning with his first artworks created in Japan in the 1980s, in which recurring elements of his personal history appear, such as his family’s house and childlike figures, developed under the influence of artists such as Takeshi Motai. The volume then highlights the artist’s fruitful stay in Germany, where Nara reacted to the isolation imposed by the language barrier while he studied and discovered German Expressionism with A.R. Penck at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and introduced in his production the central characters that would soon be recognized as part of his signature language. Finally, the monograph closes by exploring the work Nara produced after his return to Japan in 2000, presenting an essential selection of his late paintings, drawings, installations and sculptures. Yoshitomo Nara (born 1959) is one of the best-known Japanese artists of his generation; his characteristic portraits of adorable, enigmatic or threatening childlike figures have become revered icons with potent social implications. Nara creates traditionally crafted art rooted in his childhood and personal history; underground punk, folk and rock music; literature and nature, as well as European and Japanese art history.
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Hypebeast
Keith Estiler
Rooted in childhood memories, a love for music and literature, and enriched by his travels, Nara’s creations ooze humanism.
Wallpaper*
Sofia De La Cruz
It’s his raw portrayal of the human condition – beautiful, frail and, at times, bewildering—that renders his creations so hypnotizing.
Artnet
Louisa Elderton
At once saccharine, tense, and surreal
Hyperallergic
Ela Bittencourt
Nara grew up during Japan’s economic miracle; his parents worked long hours, leaving him in long periods of isolation. That adolescence, the later stagnation of the economy, as well as the shadow of the atomic bomb — reawakened by the Fukushima disaster in 2011 — underpin Nara’s oeuvre.
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Featured spreads are from new release Yoshitomo Nara, published by La Fábrica to accompany the acclaimed retrospective on view now at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, en route to the Hayward Gallery in June 2025. Here, you can see a selection of the artist’s sweet yet sinister paintings and the book’s clean, inviting design. Also of note: the beautiful baby blue cover with strong title graphics and one of Nara’s adorable, yet ever-so menacing children seemingly spotlit in white, her arm oozing just a little bit of blood. “Nara’s gravitation toward the figure of a child is to give voice to those who are universally disenfranchised but also against systems and exploitations of power,” Mika Yoshitake writes. “They are powerful narratives to embolden ‘the weak’ with which the artist himself identifies in his past.” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8 x 9.5 in. / 180 pgs / 180 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $49.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $69.95 GBP £44.99 ISBN: 9788410024335 PUBLISHER: La Fábrica AVAILABLE: 11/5/2024 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD Except Spain
Published by La Fábrica. Text by Mika Yoshitake, Shigemi Takahashi, Lucia Agirre.
Sweet yet sinister, Nara's paintings of children and animals are beloved the world over for their punchy iconography and punk-rock spirit
This definitive monograph spans 40 years, from 1984 to the present day, in the career of the iconic artist, shedding light on Nara’s conceptual process through paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and installations that reflect his empathetic vision of the world around him. Published in conjunction with the epochal exhibition at Museo Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain, this eponymous monograph divides Nara’s oeuvre into three chronological periods, beginning with his first artworks created in Japan in the 1980s, in which recurring elements of his personal history appear, such as his family’s house and childlike figures, developed under the influence of artists such as Takeshi Motai. The volume then highlights the artist’s fruitful stay in Germany, where Nara reacted to the isolation imposed by the language barrier while he studied and discovered German Expressionism with A.R. Penck at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and introduced in his production the central characters that would soon be recognized as part of his signature language. Finally, the monograph closes by exploring the work Nara produced after his return to Japan in 2000, presenting an essential selection of his late paintings, drawings, installations and sculptures.
Yoshitomo Nara (born 1959) is one of the best-known Japanese artists of his generation; his characteristic portraits of adorable, enigmatic or threatening childlike figures have become revered icons with potent social implications. Nara creates traditionally crafted art rooted in his childhood and personal history; underground punk, folk and rock music; literature and nature, as well as European and Japanese art history.
