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Yoshitomo Nara exhibition is a retrospective of 30 years of artwork from the popular Japanese artist.
Here is a look at” Yoshitomo Nara.”
A series of artwork
This exhibit showcases more than 100 artworks from 1984 to the 2000s including paintings, drawings, ceramics, sculptures, and a small cottage.
You will also find a painted status outside the LACMA, along Wilshire Boulevard.
Inspired by his childhood, and various passions like literature and music, his composition shifted over the years to focus on a single figure.
People on the Cloud (1989) is an early work depicting allegories of good and evil.
Light Haze Days is a study work realized in 2020. Nara was exploring a new genre inspired by French modernist painting.
Since his stay in Germany from 1988 to 2000, he has been portraying a single figure with a large head and wide-eyed child floating in a neutral background. He declared that “These works were born not from confronting others, but from confronting my own self.”
About the artist
Born in mainland Japan, Nara Yoshitomo grew up in the shadow of World War II and under the U.S. Allied occupation. Passionate about music, he was influenced initially by civil rights and antiwar rock music. Besides, album covers were his introduction to art and artistic genres.
“Album covers were the first things that spoke to me as works of visual art. For me, having been thought up in a rural area where there were no museums, this was my very first art experience.”
Highlights
My Drawing Room, 2008
My Drawing Room is a mini-scale of Nara’s studio. The wooden structure with painted letters “Place like Home” includes numerous drawings, figurines, and mixed CDs.
Miss Spring, 2012
This painting was realized after the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima (nuclear power plant) catastrophe in northeast Japan. Miss Spring became a symbol of Hope and was printed in many Japanese anti-nuclear protests’ banners.
Ready to explore Nara’s artwork?
Article based on my visit in July 2021
*COVD-19 update as of December 2021*
– Please wear a mask and practice a physical distance of 6 feet between yourself and others
– Please check LACMA and L.A County’s health and safety protocols before your visit
Plan your visit:
- Exhibit on view from April 1st, 2021 – January 2nd, 2022
- Location: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
- Hours: 11:00am-6:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 11:00am – 8:00pm on Friday and, 10:00 am-7:00pm on weekend. Closed on Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
- Admission: $25 per adult, free after 3 pm Monday-Friday for L.A County resident. Advance timed-entry reservations are recommended.
- Duration: I spent 45 minutes discovering it.
- Parking: paid on-site lot and street parking
- More information is available at https://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/yoshitomo-nara
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