Yoshitomo Nara

Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Yoshitomo Nara, Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works: Paintings, Sculptures, Editions, Photographs, Vol. 1, Tokyo, 2011, cat. no. P-2009-004, p. 216, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of minor surface wear along the edges of the canvas, where the canvas comes in contact with the artist's chosen frame. This surface wear is not visible when the canvas is framed. The artist's chosen frame has a few surface cracks along the bottom segment of floral decoration, which appear stable and previously retouched. Under ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration to the canvas. There are three media accretions on the left side of the figure's face (which appear as vertical lines), which fluoresce brightly under ultraviolet light but are not visible under normal lighting. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Yoshitomo Nara’s portraits represent a desire to characterize and make tangible the true essence of childhood. Like childhood, his paintings are filled with wonder and vulnerability. They bleed the range of emotions that accompany the coming of age experience: joy, friendship, excitement, confusion, fear, and everything in between. Nara masterfully creates works that are simultaneously universal and specific, capable of attracting people of all ages from all cultures. Yet, despite capturing all the amazement of youth, he does not shy away from the more sinister elements, such as the loss of youth. This ability to capture a whole portrait of childhood comes through expertly in Nara’s Portrait of AE, an intensely captivating work which immediately demands the attention and intense engagement of the viewer.

Yoshitomo Nara has noted that his formative years were deeply influenced by American culture and ideals. Born into a post-World War II Japan that was effectively occupied by the US, Nara was exposed at an early age to American forms of entertainment such as Walt Disney and Warner brothers, whose cartoons provided much inspiration for Nara’s renowned childhood aesthetic. For an artist for whom childhood holds a magical appeal, Nara would understandably feel a connection to a subject like Amelia Earhart, whose legend is surrounded by captivating allure. Earhart, an intensely popular fixture in American culture, took on celebrity status when she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. For any American child who used to dream of going on adventures to foreign lands, Earhart was a hero. However, just as all of Nara’s works contain both the light and the dark elements of childhood, the Earhart story both inspires fascination and fear in equal measure.  After becoming debatably the world’s most famous pilot, Earhart went missing during an attempt to fly around the globe in 1937, never to be found. Fascination, speculation, and conspiracy theories surround her disappearance, and continue to captivate the world to this day.

The present work features a doe-eyed ‘Amelia’ set against a simply rendered backdrop. Punctuating the canvas is Nara’s ethereal representation of the subject’s eyes. Starting around 2005, there is an evident shift in Nara’s treatment of depicting his subject’s eyes. What he once rendered as strictly two-dimensional, he began to depict more realistically, imbuing them with personal emotion. Around 2007-2008, Nara further matures this practice, as he has stated, “In the past, my painting was not as detailed. People used to respond to just the image but now I’m more concerned about the content and the context.” He adds, “I’m more aware of classical techniques.” This interest in a more conventional approach to classical portraiture is evident in the present work as he uses a kaleidoscopic palette to bring the eyes to life.

Nara’s brilliant use of light imbues this work with an ethereal quality that makes it feels as if it is not of this world, but a more fantastic one. The dreamlike texture adds a sense of magic that makes the work both relatable—in the sense that it reminds the viewer of fairytales or dreams, but also distant, as his work also suggests a rejection of reality. Kristin Chambers perfectly summarizes this experience when viewing Nara’s work, “Through the faces of his subjects, Nara invites us to linger, to leave our rules at the door and enter the more fluid and uninhibited world of children” (Exh. Cat., Cleveland, Museum of Contemporary Art, Yoshitomo Nara; Nothing Ever Happens, 2004, p. 26). This genuine depiction of the universal theme of youth and childhood leaves us with a deeper, more personal experience of the emotion at the core of Nara’s depictions.