Yoshitomo Nara

Japanese · b. 1959 · Painter, Printmaker

Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, though his artwork has been exhibited worldwide. Nara has had nearly 40 solo… (Wikipedia)

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598lots offered2005–2026years recorded90%sold (528)$21.2kSign up free to seemedian price

8 works by Yoshitomo Nara with an auction history (offered more than once) →

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Record prices

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Missing in ActionPhillips · Jun 2021HK$123,725,000≈ $15,944,441≈ £11,268,952≈ €13,088,525Sign up to see
Hothouse DollPhillips · Dec 2020HK$103,115,000≈ $13,302,866≈ £9,892,078≈ €10,947,960Sign up to see
Lookin' for a TreasurePhillips · Mar 2023HK$83,850,000≈ $10,681,652≈ £8,651,212≈ €9,812,283Sign up to see

Yoshitomo Nara’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

Coming up at auction

2 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 588 auction results for Yoshitomo Nara between 2005 and 2026, of which 528 sold (90%). A further 10 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $64Sign up free to see to $16MSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $16MSign up free to see for Missing in Action at Phillips in June 2021. Most results come from Phillips (270), Ravenel (171) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (39).

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589 results · page 1 of 15

C'Mon Everybody
Drawing
8 1/4 x 5 1/2 in. (21 x 14 cm)
Phillips · Sep 26, 2026 · Lot 131
$4,128≈ £3,115≈ €3,620Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $15,000–20,000View at Phillips ↗
Country Home (M. & S. 2011-001), 2011
Woodcut / linocut · Paper · ed. 15/50
S. 42 x 29.7 cm (16 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.)
Phillips · Sep 17, 2026 · Lot 148
£41,280≈ $55,216≈ €48,093Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £20,000–30,000View at Phillips ↗
Girl in a Box, 2001
Screenprint · Paper · ed. AP
S. 30.5 x 30.5 cm (12 x 12 in.)
Phillips · Sep 17, 2026 · Lot 149
£23,220≈ $31,059≈ €27,053Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £10,000–15,000View at Phillips ↗
Spockie (M. & S. E-2002-007), 2002
Etching · Paper · ed. 26/35
I. 29.5 x 24.7 cm (11 5/8 x 9 3/4 in.) S. 49 x 38 cm (19 1/4 x 14 7/8 in.)
Phillips · Sep 17, 2026 · Lot 150
£18,060≈ $24,157≈ €21,041Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £7,000–9,000View at Phillips ↗
WOW (Works on Whatever) Project beach towel, 2010
Print (other)
58⅛ h x 68¼ w in (148 x 173 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Jun 25, 2026 · Lot 190
$2,304≈ £1,751≈ €2,031Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Light Haze Day skateboard deck (triptych), 2020
Print (other)
32 h x 24 w x 2 d in (81 x 61 x 5 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Jun 25, 2026 · Lot 202
$384≈ £292≈ €339Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $600–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Bunny in blue, 1997
Acrylic · Canvas
60 x 50 cm
Lempertz · Jun 5, 2026 · Lot 22
€584,200≈ $680,009≈ £504,945Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €350,000–450,000View at Lempertz ↗
Cosmic Girls: Eyes Open/Eyes Closed, 2008
Lithograph
28⅜ h x 20⅜ w in (72 x 52 cm)
Rago Auctions · Jun 3, 2026 · Lot 302
$5,120≈ £3,808≈ €4,408Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Ocean Child in the Floating World, 1999
Woodcut / linocut · ed. 39/50
41.5 x 29.5 cm
Ravenel · May 24, 2026 · Lot 106
NT$216,000Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. NT$190,000–280,000View at Ravenel ↗
Three Works: (i) Fuckin Politics; (ii) Midnight Tears Scarf; (iii) In the Milky Lake/ Thinking One Scarf, 2003
Lithograph
(i) work 52.5 x 70 cm. (20 5/8 x 27 1/2 in.) frame 61 x 78.5 cm. (24 x 30 7/8 in.) (ii) work 80 x 80 cm. (31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.) frame 82 x 84 cm. (32 1/4 x 33 1/8 in.) (iii) work 80 x 80 cm. (31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.) frame 82 x 84 cm. (32 1/4 x 33 1/8 in.)
Phillips · May 20, 2026 · Lot 113
HK$16,770≈ $2,141≈ £1,598≈ €1,846Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. HK$20,000–40,000View at Phillips ↗

Also offered, result not published (10)

Lots by Yoshitomo Nara that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Yoshitomo Nara paintings (88)Yoshitomo Nara oil paintings (4)Yoshitomo Nara acrylic paintings (61)Yoshitomo Nara mixed media (18)Yoshitomo Nara works on paper (148)Yoshitomo Nara watercolors (3)Yoshitomo Nara gouaches (3)Yoshitomo Nara drawings (94)Yoshitomo Nara prints (244)Yoshitomo Nara etchings (14)Yoshitomo Nara aquatints (3)Yoshitomo Nara lithographs (61)Yoshitomo Nara screenprints (17)Yoshitomo Nara woodcuts & linocuts (52)Yoshitomo Nara multiples (24)Yoshitomo Nara photographs (6)Yoshitomo Nara sculpture (60)

Yoshitomo Nara: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Yoshitomo Nara at auction?

$15,944,441Sign up free to see, for Missing in Action at Phillips (June 2021) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Yoshitomo Nara?

The median sale price is $21.2kSign up free to see across 474 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Yoshitomo Nara have sold at auction?

528 of 588 recorded lots sold between 2005 and 2026. 10 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Yoshitomo Nara?

Phillips, Ravenel and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Ravenel · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

Yoshitomo Nara signature

189 catalogued lots by Yoshitomo Nara record a signature line. The most common placement is on the reverse (53% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

on the reverse42
lower right19
lower left8
along the bottom4
lower centre3
on the stretcher1

Form

signed123
signed and dated62
initialled3
with seals1

Numbered '52/52' lower left; further signed and dated 'Nara [in Japanese] 2002-04' lower right — Time Goes On, Phillips, May 20, 2026
(i) signed with the artist's initial and dated 'Na [in Japanese] 2005' on the reverse — Three Works: (i) Fuckin Politics; (ii) Midnight Tears Scarf; (iii) In the Milky Lake/ Thinking One Scarf, Phillips, May 20, 2026
Signed with the artist's initial and dated 'Na [in Japanese] 99' lower left — Untitled, Phillips, May 20, 2026

Yoshitomo Nara signature: all forms and examples →

About Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara is a Japanese artist. He lives and works in Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, though his artwork has been exhibited worldwide. Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions since 1984. His art work has been housed at the MoMA and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). His most well-known and repeated subjects are "big-headed girls" with piercing eyes, who one Nara scholar describes as having "childlike expressions [that] resonate with adult emotions, [their] embodiment of kawaii (cuteness) carries a dark humor, and any explicit cultural references are intertwined with personal memories."

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.