Nara (b. 1959, Aomori, Japan) is one of the leading artists of Japan’s influential Neo Pop movement and is best known for his depictions of simultaneously cute and devilish children and animals. Informed by elements of popular culture ranging from manga and anime to punk rock, Nara fuses Japanese visual traditions and Western Modernism to create adorable but menacing characters that possess a startling emotional intensity.
Nara’s works are included in prominent collections internationally, including The British Museum, London; Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Malaga, Malaga; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Takamatsu; Zabludowicz Collection, London; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA; The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; The Rubell Family Collection, Miami, USA; Aomori Museum of Art, Aomori, Japan; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan; Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan; Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea.