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Yoshitomo NaraYoshitomo Nara, Missing In Action, 20212021
2021
$638.16
£470
€551.42
CA$894.44
A$971.53
CHF 514.34
MX$11,730.57
NOK 6,421.03
SEK 6,082.91
DKK 4,117.42
About the Item
Yoshitomo Nara, Missing In Action, 2021
Offset lithograph print on paper
20 3/10 × 14 3/10 in (51.5 × 36.4 cm)
Stamped with title, artist's name, copyright and year
Published by N's Yard, Japan
Yoshitomo Nara’s Missing in Action is a landmark piece capturing his signature motif: the solitary, defiant child. This print exemplifies Nara’s precise, smooth contours and emotionally charged minimalism. At its center stands a lone girl in scarlet—both playful and symbolic—evoking the red of the Japanese flag. With her oversized head, stark expression, and tangerine-shaped eyes, she radiates quiet rebellion and childlike vulnerability.
Originally painted during Nara’s pivotal years in Germany, Missing in Action reflects his shift toward emotional introspection and stripped-back composition. The work echoes the psychological themes Nara explored in the late 1990s — loneliness, adolescent awkwardness, and the universal struggle to connect.
Critics like Midori Matsui have interpreted Nara’s children as icons of post-bubble Japanese youth — isolated yet yearning for innocence. Art historian Stephan Trescher describes them as “cute embodiments of infantilism” that resist defeat, quietly carrying hope. The painting’s punk undertones, seen in the girl’s fierce stance and piercing gaze, reference Nara’s view of punk not as fashion but as a mindset—an anti-conformist stance akin to that of American artist Mike Kelley.
Distinct from contemporaries like Takashi Murakami, Nara’s work draws from European and Japanese picture books rather than anime or manga. Influences like Le Petit Prince and Takeshi Motai inform his soft yet intense style. His obsessive focus on the child’s face builds a visual language that is instantly recognizable yet emotionally complex.
Missing in Action is a powerful example of Nara’s ability to blend personal memory, cultural commentary, and subcultural influence into a single poignant image.
Yoshitomo Nara (Japanese, b. 1959) is a leading figure in contemporary art, celebrated for his emotive works that blend childlike innocence with subversive undertones. Artist Yoshitomo Nara explores themes of loneliness and rebellion through his whimsical yet poignant paintings and prints, often featuring his signature wide-eyed characters. The marketplace for his prints has expanded significantly, with a 54% rise since 2018 and an astounding 235% surge since 2013 in lots sold at auction, underscoring his appeal as an investment artist. At Smolensky Gallery, we proudly offer Yoshitomo Nara art for sale, including highly sought-after Yoshitomo Nara prints. Discover works by this iconic artist that combine emotional depth with exceptional market growth. Valuable additions to any collection.
- Creator:Yoshitomo Nara (1959, Japanese)
- Creation Year:2021
- Dimensions:Height: 20.28 in (51.5 cm)Width: 14.34 in (36.4 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Manchester, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2261216719192
Yoshitomo Nara
Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most influential artists to emerge from Japan's Pop art movement in the 1990s. Drawing inspiration from the anime and manga characters that he was exposed to during his childhood, Nara creates characters, usually small children, who possess similar cartoonish qualities, with highly stylized features and especially large eyes. However, Nara's illustrations of children, who are often brandishing weapons, are often more menacing and devilish than they are cute and innocent.
Nara has assembled a cult-like following centered around his childlike illustrations although the themes surrounding his work touch on broader social and cultural topics such as violence and the rigidity of social structures in Japan. While he works mainly in painting and drawing, he also experiments in sculpture and installations.
Since his first solo exhibition at Blum and Poe Gallery in 1984, Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions worldwide, from Iceland to Japan to France to the United States.
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