1992
Acrylic and Collage on Paper
56 x 41.7 cm
Signed Yoshitomo Nara in English, dated 1992, titled in Chinese and Japanese
Estimate TWD 1,600,000-2,400,000
USD 52,500-78,700
HKD 0-0
Hammer Price TWD 0
USD 0
HKD 0
Provenance：1. Gallery Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan 2. Private collection, Asia
Illustrated："Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works Volume 2," Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, U.S, 2011, no. D-1992-003, Page 60
Exhibition：
Exposition：
Yoshitomo Nara, a prominent Japanese artist, was born in 1959 and spent his formative years in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. Since the mid-1990s, his captivating works have been exhibited extensively across Europe, the United States, Japan, and Asia. In 2000, Nara returned to Japan to continue his artistic pursuits, coinciding with the growing interest in Japanese pop culture, particularly in the United States. While primarily known for his two-dimensional paintings, Nara's creative practice also encompasses sculpture, utilizing materials such as wood, fiberglass, ceramics, and white/bronze. Furthermore, he often incorporates everyday materials into his installations, documenting his travel experiences and daily life through photographs of landscapes. Nara's artworks are renowned for their bold and iconic style, featuring childlike figures with piercing eyes and bold expressions. His works reflect his own personal experiences, depicting themes such as isolation, rebellion, and innocence. Nara has influenced a new generation of artists with his unique artistic approach, and his works have become highly sought after in the contemporary art world.
Yoshitomo Nara's passion for cats stems from his childhood experiences, which he cherished deeply. As a sensitive and introverted child, he often found himself alone due to his family's busy work schedule. However, his life changed when he adopted a stray cat at the age of six. The feline became his companion, and they played together and kept each other company. This emotional connection with the cat left a lasting impression on Yoshitomo Nara, and his love for cats continued to grow as he entered adulthood. Today, cats are a recurring theme in his artwork, serving as a symbol of comfort, companionship, and emotional connection.
In 1988, Yoshitomo Nara went to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in Germany. Due to his lack of knowledge of the German language, difficulty in communication, cultural differences, and introverted personality, he often found himself living a lonely life. He longed for the cat that had accompanied him during his childhood, and began incorporating cats into his paintings. Through the process of creating, Yoshitomo Nara found comfort and forgot his loneliness. He once said, "When I recall talking to cats in my childhood, it helps me rediscover my sensitivity." By delving deep into his own heart, Yoshitomo Nara created an oil painting named "King of Cat" which marked a key turning point in the early days of his studies in Germany.
The artwork "For Kuro" was created in 1992, the same year as "King of Cat". In the lower right corner of the canvas, there is an inscription that reads "Kuro" in Japanese, "Black" in Chinese, and "に" in Japanese, which may refer to his childhood cat. Unlike the human-like cats in "Kind of Cat," this little black cat is "a person disguised as a cat," echoing Nara's memories of companionship and conversations with his beloved pet. In his heart, he finds solace in the satisfaction of being accompanied by someone. This little black cat seems to be the inspiration to Yoshitomo Nara's earliest classic work, "Harmless Kitty," which was created in 1994. It also has the familiar rebellious, world-weary look and mischievous posture of a little black cat.
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