In Looking for Treasure, the composition boasts the perfect amalgamation of traits that are iconic to Yoshitomo Nara: a large-headed child with pudgy cheeks and narrowed, down-turned eyes, who wears a wide-hemmed dress and has rounded limbs. The protagonist featured in the work wears golden-yellow, a rare yet highly sought-after characteristic in Nara’s oeuvre.
Yoshitomo Nara, Lookin' for a Treasure, 1995
Estimate on Request
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 30 March
This was painted during his pivotal years in Germany that he departed from vibrant tones and harsh outlines as his painterly technique refined.
The Nara heroine holds a set of dowsing tools in her hands. Nara explored this motif in other works created around the same time, and it seems he was thinking about both ‘dowsing’ ideas - its connection to the natural world and the supernatural side to it as well. At the same time, the long stick-like tools also somewhat resemble paintbrushes. This interpretation alludes to the Nara girl being a self-portrait of the artist himself, searching for ‘treasure’ in the development of his art during his years in Germany.
The work is among the rarest works on canvas by the artist to come to auction. It belongs to a small series of only four canvases Nara painted in 1995 featuring a golden-yellow dressed girl against a pale blue background. One of such paintings has been acquired by the Tokushima Modern Art Museum for its permanent collection, while the other two paintings have not been offered before at auction. 1995 was a particularly momentous year for Yoshitomo Nara, marked especially by the publication of his first ever book of paintings, new representation with Blum & Poe Gallery, and a breakthrough solo show at SCAI the Bathhouse in Tokyo which propelled him to international prominence.
Phillips’ new Asia headquarters in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, which spans over 52,000 square feet across a total of six floors, will open for business in phases beginning on 18 March. Lookin' for a Treasure will star in the Spring Sales of 20th Century & Contemporary Art on 30-31 March, alongside other important works, including the recently announced highlights - Yayoi Kusama’s Pumpkin sold to benefit the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, Iowa, United States, and a rare and magnificent triptych work.