Yoshitomo Nara Works Offered Across New York Galleries And Auctions

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Art enthusiasts seeking works by Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara have multiple opportunities this month in New York, with major galleries and auction houses featuring his paintings and sculptures. David Zwirner has dedicated two Chelsea galleries to Nara's paintings, including drawings, sculptures, and new large canvases priced up to $6 million. On opening night last week, lines for the exhibitions reportedly stretched for hours along 19th and 20th streets, generating significant activity on social media.

Despite the gallery offerings, a source familiar with the exhibition noted that the largest paintings are reserved exclusively for museums. Meanwhile, Loïc Gouzer's Fair Warning will auction In the Milky Lake / Thinking One (2011) on November 19, with an estimate of $10 million to $15 million. This monumental painting, depicting a young girl, was created in the year of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Nara's home region and has been featured in international retrospectives.

Additional Nara works are also appearing at auction. Sotheby's will offer Candy Blue Night (2001) at its The Now and Contemporary Sale next week, estimated at $5 million to $7 million. Christie's plans to sell Miss Forest / Dark Night (2016), a bronze sculpture, at its 21st Century Evening Sale, with an estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million. Nara's auction record stands at $24.95 million, achieved at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2019. While no subsequent auction has reached the $20 million mark, his larger paintings have consistently sold for approximately $5 million to $15 million, even in a challenging market.

These numerous offerings reflect the current state of the art market during New York's inaugural Art Week NYC, a citywide festival organized by ARTnews, Art in America, and Artforum, running through Saturday. Collectors can choose between gallery purchases, auction bids, or waiting to observe market trends.

Alex Glauber, an art advisor and president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors, stated,“The market's healthy, but it continues to be measured with a certain amount of awareness, if not suspicion, about the aggressiveness of private pricing.” Glauber observed that when comparable works appear in both galleries and auctions, many collectors prefer to await auction results before committing, unless the opportunity is particularly compelling.

In other gallery news during Art Week NYC:

Gagosian presents two distinct exhibitions. Julie Curtiss's“UNREAL,” which opened Tuesday, features surreal depictions of New York life, with paintings priced between $100,000 and $300,000. Curtiss's auction record of $466,000 was set in 2021, but her top result in the past two years was $115,000. Gagosian will also open“Meine Schule” on Thursday, showcasing Georg Baselitz's final paintings and sculptures. The paintings are priced from about $1.5 million to $2.5 million, and the sculpture Strawinsky (2026) is approximately $3 million. Gallery director Stefan Ratibor recalled visiting Baselitz at his studio, where the artist, working from a wheelchair, finalized adjustments to a wooden model for the sculpture before his death the following night. Hauser & Wirth in SoHo is exhibiting Rashid Johnson's“Birthday Boys,” featuring five large mosaics made from ceramic tile, mirrors, and oyster shells, priced from $750,000 to $1.2 million. A four-and-a-half-minute film is also on offer for $200,000. Skarstedt opens Eric Fischl's“In Pursuit of Pleasure” on Thursday, featuring 13 paintings. Two large works, Goat Yoga and Polished, Professional, are each priced at $800,000, while Dog Walker is $425,000. Sean Kelly is showing Kehinde Wiley's portraits of New Yorkers, priced from approximately $100,000 to $400,000, aligning with his secondary-market prices, though two past outliers reached $649,000 in 2021 and $838,000 in 2024. This marks Wiley's first New York show since sexual assault allegations emerged in 2024, which he has denied. Christie's and Sotheby's will also offer Wiley portraits in their upcoming contemporary day sales, with estimates of $150,000 to $200,000 and $80,000 to $120,000, respectively. Other galleries, including Almine Rech, Greene Naftali, and White Cube, are also presenting new exhibitions.

We previously reported:

Tokyo Jazz Club, an alternative art fair featuring over 60 galleries, is transforming a former capsule hotel into an immersive exhibition space during Art Week

A Yoshitomo Nara painting from 2011, estimated at $10 million to $15 million, will be auctioned by Fair Warning this month in New York.

Art Week Tokyo concluded its fifth edition with a record 56 participating venues, demonstrating the Japanese art scene's expanding international reach.

Source: ARTnews

MENAFN12112026005694012507ID1111954465