YOSHITOMO NARA (Japanese, B. 1959)

Yoshitomo Nara's cute, accessible artworks dissolve the boundaries between traditional high art and low popular culture in post-war Japan, expanding the ways in which art can be read. As one of the most prominent figures of Japanese contemporary art, his remarkable ability to re-appropriate traditional culture helped forge a unique position for Japanese art in the international art arena.

LOTTA Leaves Home (Lot 7192) captivates us with its direct, playful yet somewhat dark image of a rebellious looking girl possibly attempting to leave home with her only possession, a small pig. Informed by elements of pop culture, such as manga, anime, punk rock and children's book illustration, Nara conveys the sensibilities of rebellion and teen angst experienced by youths worldwide in his signature tongue-in-cheek fashion. Through his succinct lines, graphics and abstractions, Nara continues to reinvent figure painting in post-war Japan with his pastel characters, whose delightful presence extends far beyond their objective appearance.