YOSHITOMO NARA  

Born:
Hirosaki, Japan, 1959

Education:
Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, B.F.A., Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, M.F.A., Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, Japan
Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany

Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan  

One-Person Exhibitions

2012
A Bit Like You and Me, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Japan; traveled to Aomori Museum of Art, Aomori, Japan; Contemporary Art Museum, Kumamoto, Japan; Singapore Art Museum, Singapore

2010
Yoshitomo Nara: Ceramic Works, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Yoshitomo Nara:  Nobody’s Fool, Asia Society, New York, NY

2009
Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
Crated Rooms for Iceland, Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland 

2008
Yoshitomo Nara with Installation by YNG, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, UK
Galerie Zink, Munich, Germany
Galerie Meyer Kainer, Vienna, Austria 

2007-08
Torre de Málaga, Nara + graf, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga, Spain
Yoshimoto Nara + graf, GEM, Museum of Contemporary Art, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Johnen + Schoettle, Cologne, Germany 

2007
Berlin Baracke, Galerie Zink, Berlin, Germany                

2006
Moonlight Serenade, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Japan
A to Z, Yoshii Brick Brew House, Hirosaki, Japan
Yoshitomo Nara + graf, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK
Arndt & Partner, Zurich, Switzerland

2005
Home, graf, gm, Osaka, Japan
 Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
Over the Rainbow: Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugito, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany
(travelling to the K21, Düsseldorf, Germany)
Bridge, Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya, Japan 

2004
From the Depth of My Drawer, Hara Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
(traveled to Kanaz Forest of Creation, Fukui, Yonago City Museum of Art, Tottori, Yoshii Brick Brewhouse, Hirosaki, Aomori, Lodin Gallery, Seoul)
Keiner & Meyer, Vienna, Austria
Nowhere Land, Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany
Yoshitomo Nara: New Works 2004, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
Somewhere, collaboration with Hiroshi Sugito, Galerie Zink & Gegner, Munich, Germany
Shadow Puddles, Graf Media, GM, Osaka, Japan 

2003
Nothing Ever Happens, Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland
(traveled to Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia, PA, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, MO, San Jose Museum of Art, NM, The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI)
S.M.L., Graf Media GM, Osaka, Japan
Galerie Zink & Gegner, Munich, Germany
New Drawings 2003, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo
The Good, the Bad, the Average.... and Unique, Little More Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Stephen Friedman, London, UK 

2002
Saucer Tales, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
Who Snatched the Babies?, Centre National de l'estampe et de l'arte imprimè, Chatou, France
12 Etchings, Space Force, Tokyo, Japan 

2001
In Those Days, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
I Don’t Mind, If You Forget Me, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama Japan
(travels to Hiroshima Museum of Contemporary Art, Ashiya City Museum of Art,
Asahikawa Prefectural Museum of Art, Aomori Museum of Art (cat.)
Drawings Days, Collette, Paris, France
Clear For Landing, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany
In the White Room: An Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings, Blum & Poe, Santa Monica, CA

2000
Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK
Empty Fortress, Galerie Johnen & Schottle, Cologne, Germany
Lullaby Supermarket, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
Walk on, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL 

1999
Done Did, Parco Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Happy Hour, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Somebody Whispers in Nürnberg, Institut fur Moderne Kunst Nürnberg, Nurnberg, Germany (cat.)
Pave Your Dreams, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
An Exhibition of Sculpture in Two Parts, Blum & Poe, Santa Monica, CA
Walking Alone, The Ginza Art Space, Tokyo, Japan (cat.)
In the Floating World, Nadiff Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
No, They Didn’t, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 

1998
Institute of Visual Arts, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (cat.) 

1997
Blum & Poe, Santa Monica, CA
Screen Memory, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Lonesome Puppy, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Drawing Days, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Sleepless Night, Galerie Michael Zink, Regensburg, Germany
Yume Ooka Art Project, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. 

1996
Galerie Johnen & Schottle (with Karen Kilimnik), Cologne, Germany
Lonesome Puppy, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Hothouse Fresh, Gallery Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan (cat.)
Empty Surprise, Artium, Fukuoka, Japan
Cup Kids, Gallery Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan (cat.) 

1995
Cup Kids, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Nagoya, Japan
Pacific Babies, Blum & Poe, Santa Monica, CA
In The Deepest Puddle, SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan (cat.)
Nothing Gets Me Down, Galerie Humanite, Tokyo, Japan (cat.)
Oil on Canvas, Galerie Humanite, Nagoya, Japan (cat.)
Project for Gunma, Gunma Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Takasaki, Gunma, Japan 

1994
Lonesome Babies, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan (cat.)
Hula Hula Garden, Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Christmas For Sleeping Children, Itoki Crystal Hall, Osaka, Japan (cat.)                                   

1993
Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Köln, Germany
Be Happy, Galerie Humanite, Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan (cat.) 

1992
Loft Gallery, Deventer, Netherlands
Drawings, Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Galerie Johnen & Schoettle, Cologne, Germany 

1991
Harmlos, Galerie im Kinderspielhaus, Dusseldorf, Germany
cogitationes cordium, Galerie Humanite, Nagoya, Japan
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands 

1990
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands 

1989
 Irrlichttheater, Stuttgart, Germany 

1988
Innocent Being, Galerie Humanite, Nagoya & Tokyo, Japan
Goethe Institute, Dusseldorf, Germany 

1985
Recent Works, Gallery Space to Space, Nagoya, Japan 

1984
Wonder Room, Gallery Space to Space, Nagoya, Japan
It’s a Little Wonderful House, Love Collection Gallery, Nagoya, Japan 

Group Exhibitions

2013
Flowers, Towada Art Center, Towada, Japan
Re: Quest―Japanese Contemporary Art since the 1970s, Museum of Art, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea

2012
Damage Control: Art and Destruction Since 1950, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.
Print/Out, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Reality/Imaginary: Contemporary Art from Japan, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Russia

2011
Future Pass: From Asia to the World, 54th Esposizione Internazionale d’Art, la Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy
Bye Bye Kitty!!!: Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art, Japan Society, New York, NY
Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH
Edo Pop: The Graphic Impact of Japanese Prints, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN
GOLDMINE: Contemporary Works from the Collection of Sirje and Michael Gold, University Art Museum, College of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach, CA

2010
Trans-Cool TOKYO, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore, Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, Bangkok, Thailand
Innocence – Art Towards Life, Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Tochigi, Japan
Garden of painting- Japanese Art of the 00s, The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan
Zenkyo-An × FOIL Get Up, Even If by Yourself Alone, Kenninji Zenkyo-an Temple, Kyoto
Neoteny Japan Takahashi Collection, Museum of Art, Ehime, Japan

2009
Yoshitomo Nara, Hiroshi Sugito, Tamami Hitsuda, Masako Ando, Mika Kato, Aichi Triennale Pre-event, “It’s a Little Playground,” Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Aichi, Japan (traveled to Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan)
Walking in My Mind, The Hayward Gallery, London, UK (Yoshitomo Nara + graf)
Rites de Passage, Schunck Glaspaleis, Heerlen, The Netherlands
Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
STAGES Lance Armstrong Foundation, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
15th Anniversary Inaugural Exhibition, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
neoteny japan:  Contemporary Artists after 1990s from the Takahashi Collection, Yonago

2008
The Masked Portrait, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Selections from the Hara Museum’s Permanent Collection, Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
A Perspective on Contemporary Art 6: Emotional Drawing, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan
TOMYAM PLADIB, The Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok, Thailand
KITA!! : Japanese Artists Meet Indonesia (Yoshimoto Nara + graf), Cemeti Art House, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Selected Works from the Tokushima Modern Art Museum, Gunma Museum of Art, Tatebayashi, Gunma, Japan
My Museum, Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
NEOTENY JAPAN: Takashi’s Collection, KIRISHIMA OPEN-AIR MUSEUM, Kagoshima, Japan
20th Anniversary Memorial Collection + Hibikiau Oto, Iro, Katachi (Sympathize with Sound, Color and Shape), Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Kagawa, Japan

2007
Cult Fiction, Hayward Gallery touring exhibition, New Art Gallery, Walsall; touring to Nottingham Castle, Nottingham; Leeds City Art Gallery, Leeds, UK; Aberystwyth Art Gallery, Aberystwyth, UK; Tullie House, Carlisle, UK
Pretty Baby, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX
The Door into Summer, Art Tower Mito, Ibaraki, Japan
Disorder in the House, Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels
Bernard Vuffet Museum, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
Silly Adult, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark
Portrait Session, NADiff, Tokyo; touring to Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
Summer Show, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
MINDSCAPE MUSEUM, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
LET’S GO TO THE MUSEUM! HOW TO ENJOY MODERN ART, TOGETHER WITH DICK BRUNA, Bernard Bugget Museum, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
HOP, STAMP, HANGA! CHILD PRINT ART MUSUEM, Bernard Buffet Museum, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
ShContemporary 2007 Shanghai in art, Best of Artists Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China
3L4D—3rd Life 4th Dimension, MetaPhysical Art Gallery, New York, NY

2006
Kiss Kiss, c/o - Atle Gerhardsen, Berlin, Germany
RADAR: Selections from the Collection of Vicki and Kent Logan, Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo, Japan
Temporary Art Museum Soi Sabai, Bangkok, Thailand
Long Live Sculpture! Middelheim Open-Air Sculpture Museum, Middelheim, Belgium
A Magical Life, Tokyo Wonder Site Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
10th Anniversary, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China
35 40’ N 139 45’ E Tokyo, Archeus, London, UK
Talking Pictures, Sammlung Goetz, Munich, Germany
Sapporo Art Park, Sapporo, Japan

2005
Yokohama International Triennial, Yokohama, Japan
Ten Year Anniversary Exhibition, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK
The Elegance of Silence: Contemporary Art from East Asia, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo
Little Boy: Pop Culture in Japan, Japan Society, New York, NY (curated by Takashi Murakami) (cat.)
Manga and Japanese Contemporary Art, Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Rising Sun, Melting Moon: Contemporary Art in Japan, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

2004
Art Cologne 2004: over the rainbow: Yoshitomo Nara and Horoshi Sugito, galerie zink & gegner, Munich, Germany
Fiction Love, MOCA Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Somewhere…Yoshitomo Nara and Horoshi Sugito, galerie zink & gegner, Munich, Germany
Time of My Life: Art with Youthful Spirit, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Onkochishin, White Cube Gallery, Osaka, Japan
UNUSUAL COMBINATION, + Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Why not live for art?, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Dog Days of Summer, California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside, CA
Non-sect Radical, Yokohama Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
FUNNNY CUTS, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Yoshimoto Nara, Tam Ochiai, Hiroshi Sugito: New Prints, Space Force, Tokyo, Japan

2003
Happiness: A Survival Guide for Art and Life, Mori Art Center, Tokyo, Japan
Supernova: Art of the 1990’s from the Logan Collection, San Francisco, CA Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Nichijyou Seikatsu, Speak For, Tokyo, Japan
FOIL, Little More Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Painting in Our Time, The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum, Niigata, Japan
Kids Are Us, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Trento, Italy
Trauer/GRIEF, Atelier Augarten Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst der Österreichischen Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
girls don’t cry, Parco Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Ninos, Centro de Art de Salamanca, Spain
MARS- ART AND WAR, Neue Galerie Graz, Austria
Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
Splat, Boom, Pow! The Influence of Comics in Contemporary Art, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX (curated by Valerie Cassel) (travels) (cat.)
The Japanese Experience: Inevitable, Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Kraichtal-Unterowisheim, Germany
Comic Release: Negotiating Identity for a New Generation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (curated by Vicky Clark and Barbara Bloemink) (cat.)
Opening Exhibition, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
MY ROOM SOMEHOW SOMEWHERE, graf gm, Osaka, Japan
Collection, Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Japan
Best Collection, Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Ehime, Japan
do hope for the future, Laforet Museum, Tokyo, Japan
I bambini siamo noi, Galleria Civica di Arte Contemporanea, Turin, Italy
Art de Zoo, The Akita Museum of Modern Art, Akita, Japan
Ukiyo-E Avant-Garde, Tokyo Station Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Room Air, It-Park, Taipei, Taiwan
Your Dog is Orange County, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA

2002
Weiche Bruche: Japan, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Germany
Comic Relief, Regina Gouger Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA (travels to The Center for Contemporary Art, New Orleans, LA, The Univeristy of North Texas Gallery, Denton, TX; Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA)
BABEL 2002, National Museum of Conetemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
JAM: TOKYO - LONDON, Tokyo Opera City Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Fragile Figures, Palette School, Tokyo, Japan
The Doraemon, Suntory Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Bokura no Hero and Heroine, Otaru City Museum of Art, Hokkaido, Japan
Backspace Drawing Days, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany
Drawing Now: Eight Propositions, MoMA QNS, Queens, NY
The Galleries Show 2003, Royal Academy of Arts, London
Pop!Pop!Pop!, The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki, Japan
Monalisa Mammon, The Hiratsuka Museum of Art, Kanagawa, Japan
Contemporary Art from Japan to Finland 2002, Kerava Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
Drawing Days, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany
Emotional Site, Shokuryo Building, Tokyo, Japan

2001
NEO-TOKYO: Japanese Art Now, MCA, Australia
Mr., Tam Ochiai, Hiroshi Sugito, Yoshitomo Nara, Takashi Murakami, Masahiko Kuwahara: Jap in the Box, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London, UK
Takashi Murakami/Yoshitomo Nara, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
JAM: Tokyo LONDON, Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK
Public Offerings: Work by Twenty-five Young Artists Shaping International Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
My Reality: My Reality and the Culture of Japanese Animation, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA (curated by Jeff Fleming) (cat.)
Super Flat, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA  (curated by Takashi Murakami) (travels to Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle) (cat.)
Almost Warm and Fuzzy: Childhood and Contemporary Art, P.S.1, Center for Contemporary Art, New York, NY (traveled to Fundacio La Caixa, Barcelona, Spain, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
Forms of Human Figures from the Terada Collection, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Tsunami Riders, Galerie Michael Zink, Munich, Germany
My Reality: Contemporary Art and the Culture of Japanese Animation, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
Camera Works, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
Aichi Prefectural University of Art Collection, Haruchi Museum, Aichi, Japan
SENRITSUMIRAI Arte Attuale dal Giappone, Center for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci, Prato, Italy
Vertical Time: Past, Present and Future of Sculpture, The University Art Museum, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Tokyo, Japan
Silence of The City, Gwanju Art Museum, Korea

2000
The Darker Side of Playland: Childhood Imagery from the Logan Collection, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA (cat.)
Presumed Innocent, Capc, Museum of Contemporary Art, Bordeaux, France
Trading Views, Stadtgalerie Saarbruecken, Germany/stadtische Galerie, Erlangen/ Municipal Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden, Netherlands
Kinder des 20.jahrhunderts, Galerie der Stadt Aschaffenburg, Aschaffenburg/Mittelrhein-Museum, Koblenz, Germany
Almost Warm and Fuzzy: Childhood and Contemporary Art, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA (traveled to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ)
'00: Drawings 2000, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York, NY
Dark Mirrors of Japan, de Appel Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands (cat.)
Gendai: Japamese Contemporary Art—Between the Body and Space, Center For Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, Poland
Drawn From Life, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, NY
Super Flat, Parco Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (curated by Takashi Murakami) (cat.)
Continental Shift, Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany
Viewing Path, Saarbrucken Staatgalerie, Saarbrucken, Germany
Tokushima Collection 2000, The Tokushima Modern Art Museum, Tokushima
Works on Paper, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo
Yoshimoto Nara and Hana Hashimoto: The Amazing Garden, Takayama Memorial Art Musuem, Shichinohe, Aomori, Japan
Kids World Aomori 2000, Aomori Prefectural Museum, Aomori, Japan
Gose Abe Ando and His Influences, Namioka Town Hall, Aomori, Japan
Culturalities Exhibition, Westzone Gallery Space, London, UK

1999
Spellbound, Karyn Lovegrove Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Forget about the Ball and Get on with the Play, Kunsthalle Nurnberg, Nurnberg, Germany
New Modernism for a New Millennium, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Painting for Joy: New Japanese Painting in 1990s, The Japan Foundation Forum, Tokyo, Japan
Art is Fun 10: Angelic, Devilish, or Both, Hara Museum ARC, Shibukawa, Japan
Almost Warm and Fuzzy: Childhood and Contemporary Art, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
Tendances, Abbaye Saint-Andre Centre d’art Contemporain, Meymac, France
It’s an animal world, Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Sapporo, Japan
Yoshitomo Nara and Hiroshi Sugito, Gallery Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Art/Domestic, Setagaya Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan (curated by Takashi Azumaya) (cat.)

1998
The Manga Age, Museum of Contemporary Tokyo, Japan (cat.)

1997
Dream of Existence, Municipal Museum of Art, Budapest, Hungary
Japanese Contemporary Art Exhibition, The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
Drawing Show, Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands (with Henk Visch)
Galerie & Ediciones Ginkgo, Madrid, Spain
VOCA, The Royal Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan

1996
Tokyo Pop, The Hiratsuka Museum of Art, Hiratsuka City, Japan (cat.)
Ironic Fantasy: Another World by Five Contemporary Artists, The Miyagi Museum of Art, Miyagi, Japan (cat.)
Kind of Blue, Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Intangible Childhood, Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Mie, Japan

1995
Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Drawing Chat (with Katsuhige Nakahashi), Shinanobashi Gallery, Osaka, Japan
Endless Happiness, SCAI The Bathhouse, Tokyo, Japan
Art x ∞  = @, SAM Museum, Osaka, Japan
That Figures, Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Book and Weight, Gallery Kuranuki, Osaka, Japan
POSITIV, Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany
Dusseldorf-andere Ort, Orangerie Schlos Brake, Lemgo, Germany
the future of paintings, 1995, Osaka Contemporary Art Center, Osaka, Japan
Takeoffs, Guggenheim Gallery, Chapman University, Orange, CA
Osaka Contemporary Art Center, Osaka, Japan

1994
Gunma Biennale, Gunma Prefectural Museum of Modern Art, Takasaki, Gunma, Japan
my room is your room, 7th Nagoya Contemporary Art Fair, Nagoya City Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Harvest ‘94, Haus Bockdorf, Kempen, Germany
Harvest Kempen-Nagoya (with Shiro Matsui), Hakutosha, Nagoya, Japan
Art Against AIDS, Art Cologne, Koln, Germany

1993
Partners, Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Animals, Galerie Tanya Rumpff, Haarlem, Netherlands
Harvest ‘93 (with Shiro Matsui), Haus Bockdorf, Kempen, Germany
In Situ, Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht, Belgium

1992
Tijdelijk Asiel, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1991
4th Nagoya Contemporary Art Fair, Electricity Museum Nagoya, Nagoya, Japan
Pack, SA-IN Gallery, Pusan, Korea

1990
Brille, Galerie Pentagon, Koln, Germany
Acqua Strana, Galerie Ulla Sommers, Dusseldorf, Germany

1989
Mensch und Technik, Nixdorf A.G., Dusseldorf, Germany

1988
Feeling House, Mie Prefectural Art Museum, Japan

1987
New Artists in Nagoya, Westbeth Gallery, Nagoya, Japan

1986
Each Person’s Expression of Space, Gifu Prefectural Art Museum, Japan
Present ‘86, Gallery NAF, Nagoya, Japan

1985
Sense of Vision and Touch, Westbeth Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Five Person’s Musical Band, Love Collection Gallery, Nagoya, Japan

1984
Paranoia, Westbeth Gallery, Nagoya, Japan
Two Person Show, Gallery Denega, Hirosaki, Japan

Bibliography

2013
Kolesnikov-Jessop, Sonia. "Collector Shun Kurokochi on Parting with His Yoshitomo Nara Collection." Artinfo.com, February 28, 2013.
"Stellar Prices for the Kurokochi Collection of Yoshitomo Nara Works." Blouinartinfo.com, April 7, 2013. 
Welch, Matthew. "Artistic Remix: Contemporary Takes on Timeless Prints." Impressions, no. 34 (2013): 122-39.
"Yoshitomo Nara Exhibit Survey's His Unique Brand of Kute Kulture in New York." Huffingtonpost.com, May 18, 2013.

2012
Bijutsu techo 64, no. 973 (September 2012): special issue on Yoshitomo Nara.
Crow, Kelly. "A Japanese Artist Finds New Life a Year after the Quake," Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2012.
Silva, Elda. "Linda Pace's Legacy Informs SAMA Show," San Antonio Express-News, April 23, 2012.

2011
Boxer, Sarah. “Yoshitomo Nara: Asia Society.” Artforum 49, no. 5 (January 2011): 215.
Favell, Adrian. Before and After Superflat: A Short History of Japanese Contemporary Art, 1990-2011. Hong Kong: Blue Kingfisher, 2011.
Flint, Lucy and Nikki Bruno Clapper, eds. Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection. Dayton, OH: Dayton Art Institute, 2011.
“No Dead End Streets: the Multitudinous Paths Trod by Yoshitomo Nara.” The Art Street Journal 2, no. 4 (January 2011): 21-23.

2010
Cantu, Rua. “Yoshitomo Nara: Ceramic Works, Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo.” Art Street Journal (July 1-August 7, 2010): 15.
DiPietro, Monty. “Anime Magnetism.” Artnews (September 2010): 27.
Ebony, David. “Yoshitomo Nara: Asia Society.” Art in America (December 2010): 149-150.
Esplund, Lance. “The Con of Cute.” City Arts, September 14, 2010.
Favell, Adrian. “Tokyo to LA Story: How Southern California Became the Gateway for Japanese Global Pop Art Phenomenon.” Kontur, no. 20 (2010): 54-68.
Hisako, Hara. “Nara Yoshitomo.” ArtIt (June 2010)
Morgan, Rachel. “A Museum Director’s New Direction: Asia Society’s Solo Show of Nara Stakes out Park Avenue.” New York Observer, August 23, 2010, 48.
Rao, Priya. “On Park Avenue, Music Inspires Art.” Wall Street Journal, September 7, 2010, A30.
“Reclusive Neo-Pop Artist Yoshitomo Nara Opens Studio Doors.” Wall Street Journal, August 24, 2010.
Robinson, Walter. “Kid Stuff.” Artnet.com, September 14, 2010.
Salsbury, Britany. “Yoshitomo Nara: Asia Society.” Artforum.com, October 8, 2010.
Sesser, Stan. “For Artists, a Chilly Landscape in Japan.” Wall Street Journal, December 18-19, 2010.
Smith, Roberta. “Cuddling with Little Girls, Dogs and Music.” New York Times, September 10, 2010.
Vogel, Carol. “Cartoons Are Invading The Upper East Side.” New York Times, July 16, 2010.                                   

2009
Dyer, Erin. “Showstoppers: Yoshitomo Nara.” Juxtapoz (April 2009): N99. 

2008
Allsop, Laura. “Consumed.” ArtReview (September 2008): 48.
Basciano, Oliver. “Bringing Back the Baltic.” ArtInfo, August 15, 2008.
Chapman, Peter. “Pick of the week: Yoshitomo Nara + Graf.” ndependent, July 12-18, 2008, 13.
Collett, Christopher. “Young Art Runs Free.” Metro (United Kingdom), June 13, 2008.
“Culture Vultures.” Collective Magazine (June-July 2008): 12.
“Exhibitions: Yoshitomo Nara + Graf.” Guide (United Kingdom), August 14, 2008, 37.
Fenwick, Andrew. “Manga inspired designers: Yoshitomo Nara + Graf.” Metro UK, June 23, 2008.
Federico, Cherie. “Reality Is What You Make It.” Aesthetica (August-September, 2008): 34-35.
Hudson, Stacey. “Every dog has its day.” Metro Spirit, April 9-15, 2008.
Infante, Fran. “Exhibition’s Right at Home in Baltic.” Evening Chronicle, June 12, 2008, 41.
Pastoriza, Helena. “Yoshitomo Nara + graf, A-Z Project.” Daily Serving, October 3, 2008.

2007
Brown, Angela K. “Fort Worth Exhibit Explores the Many Faces of Childhood.” Corpus Christi Caller-Times, March 18, 2007.
Dunning, Brian. “Best New Museums.” GQ (March 2007): 178.
Lopez, Ruth. “Fall Preview: Art-core Rock.” Time Out (Chicago), August 30-September 5, 2007.
Mariani, Anthony. “Where the Wild Things Are.” FW Weekly (March 28-April 3, 2007)
Robinson, Gaile. “Modern's Show Takes the Cute out of Childhood.” Star Telegram, February 25, 2007, D7.
Terranova, Charissa. “Romper Rooms.” Dallas Morning News, February 24, 2007, 1E, 6E.
Vine, Richard. “Reflections in a Chinese Mirror.” Art In America (May 2007): 74-76. 

2006
Coomer, Martin. “Yoshitomo Nara.” Time Out London (February 22–March 1, 2006)
Corbetta, Caroline. “Arte.” Vogue Italia (January 2006): 48.
Fujimori, Manami. “Prescription Art.” Japanese Vogue (October 2006): 252.
Karnes, Andrea. Pretty Baby. Fort Worth, TX: Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, 2006: 10-11.
Lee, Andrew and David Pilling. “Problem Children.” Financial Times, May 2006, 34-35.
Matsuri, Midori. “A to Z.” Artforum (December 2006): 327-328.
Miyamura, Noriko. “Asia, Kanazawa, Yoshitomo Nara.” Modern Painters (December 2006-January 2007): 120.
Prevert, Jacques. Greetings to the Bird: Yoshitomo Nara. Tokyo: PIA Corporation, 2006.
Yoshitomo Nara + graft: A to Z, Yoshii Brick Brew House. Hirosaki, Japan: Foil, 2006.

2005
Anspon, Catherine. “My First Great Piece of Art.” PaperCITY (September 2005): 56-57.
Cahan, Susan. “Yoshitomo Nara.” ArtUS (March-April 2005): 40.
Ohnuma, Keiko. “Beyond Cute.” Honolulu Star Bulletin, April 10, 2005.
Smith, Roberta. “Japan’s Collective Unconsious.” New York Times, April 8, 2005. 

2004
Lubow, Arthur. “The Murakami Method.” New York Times Magazine, April 3, 2005, 48-57, 64, 76, 79.
Myers, Terry R. “Little Boy Boom.” Modern Painters (April 2005): 54-59.
Nara, Yoshitomo. Nothing Ever Happens. Cleveland, OH: Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, 2004.
Nara, Yoshitomo. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Sleek, no. 5 (2004): 172-77.
Nara, Yoshitomo. The Little Star Dweller. Japan: Rochin’On, 2004.
Obregon, Christian. “Hideaki Kawashima, Chiho Aoshima y Yoshitomo Nara.” Spot, no. 20 (2004): 36-41. 

2003
Bly, Lyz. “The Kids are All Right.” Cleveland Free Times, September 17, 2003.
Cameron, Dan. “Beyond Tech: The Current Role of Painting.” In Supernova: Art of the 1990’s from the Logan Collection, 61-63. San Francisco: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; New York: D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc., 2003.
Kane, Dan. “Yoshitomo Nara: Japanese Art Hero at Cleveland Museum.” Repository (Canton, OH): 12.
Kitamura, Katie. “Review.” Contemporary, no 52 (2003): 77.
Lebeau, Eleanor. “Little Snarlings.” Clevescene (September 24-30, 2003): 30.
Smith, Ryan. “Token Japanese Guy or American Consumerism at Work.” Visual Art (September 2003): 21.

2002
Hoptman, Laura. Drawing Now: Eight Propositions. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 2002.
Logan, Kent. The Logan Collection: A Portrait of Our Times. Vail, CO: Logan Collection, 2002.
Solomon, Deborah. “Pencil Revivalism.” New York Times, December 15, 2002.                                   

2001
Campbell, Clayton. Public Offerings, Flash Art, July-September 2001, p. 117
Collette, Chattopadhyay, Yoshitomo Nara, Art Asia Pacific, Issue 29, 2001, p.92-93
Cooper, Jacqueline. Superflat, New Art Examiner, September-October 2001, pg. 58-65
Corrigan, Susan. Biff! Bang! Pow! Japan Goes Pop, i-D Magazine, May 2001, pg. 106-110
Darling, Michael. Plumbing the Depths of Superflatness, ArtJournal, Fall 2001, p. 76- 89
Endter, Heike. Yoshitomo Nara at Michael Zink, Flash Art, July-September 2001, p. 124
Fujitsu, Ryota. Superflat: Battle of America, Bijutsu Techo, April 2001, pg. 179-190
Harvey, Doug. P.O.’d: On MOCA’s Public Offerings, LA Weekly, May 11-17, 2001, p. 50
Harvey, Doug. ‘Superflat’ at Museum of Contemporary Art, Artissues, March/April 2001, p. 53
Kasahara, Chiaki. Superflat: Going to America, Kokoku Hihyo, March 2001, pg. 117-124
Knight, Christopher. Flat-Out Profound, Los Angeles Times, January 16, 2001, pg. F1 & F7
Matsui, Midori. Yoshitomo Nara with Midori Matsui, index, Feb/March 2001, pg. 56-64
Matsui, Midori. Yoshitomo Nara, Public Offerings, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles/ Thames & Hudson, pg. 98-99
Matsui, Midori. Conversation Days: New Japanese Art Between 1991 and 1995, Public Offerings, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles/Thames & Hudson, pg. 230-247
Matsui, Midori. New Openings in Japanese Painting: Three Faces of Minority, Painting at the Edge of the World, The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN, pg. 46-77
Nakamura, Eric. Punk Art, Giant Robot, issue 20, 2001, p. 24-28 & cover
Nakamura, Eric. The Year Otaku Broke, Art & Text, May-July 2001, pg. 36-39
Pagel, David. Before Their Art Was Famous, Los Angeles Times, pg. F1 & F8
Raverty, Dennis. Visions From a Sinking World: Japanese Anime at the Des Moines Art Center, New Art Examiner, September-October 2001, pg. 53-57
Special Feature: Yoshitomo Nara, Bijutsu Techo, December 2001, pg. 9-112
Stevens, Lennox. “Superfreaky!: “Superflat,” Entertainment Today, March 23-March 29, 2001, p.6
Trescher, Stephan. My Life As a Dog, Yoshitomo Nara: Lullaby Supermarket, Verlag fur Moderne Kunst Nurnberg and Kadokawa Shoten, 2001
Wong, Martin. Super Duper Flat, Artbyte, June 2001, pg. 58-63
Yoshimoto, Banana. Yoshitomo Nara: Lullaby Supermarket, Verlag fur Moderne Kunst Nurnberg and Kadokawa Shoten, 2001
Yoshitomo Nara: Nothing Ever Happens, Flaunt, October 2001, p.180 

2000
Berk, Anne. Stemmen van Japanners, Kunstbeeld, June 2000
Special Feature: Yoshitomo Nara, Bijutsu Techno, July 2000, pg. 11-147
Lewisohn, Cedar. Comic Book Philosophy, iD Magazine, July 2000
Matsui, Midori. Japanese Innovators, Flash Art, January/February 2000, pg. 90 - 91
Matsui, Midori. Art, Composite, February 2000
Matsui, Midori. The Container for the Open Spirit, Bijutsu Techo, April 2000
Onishi, Wakato. J-culture-now, Asahi Shinbum, 11, July 2000
Pagel, David. Lullaby: Just the Right Cup of Tea, Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2000, pg. F1 & F10
Ratnam, Niru S. First toughest in the infants, The Face, June 2000
Shoji, Kaori. Violently Cute, Dutch, #25, 2000
Yoshitomo Nara, Dazed & Confused, June 2000 

1999
Akasaka, Hideto. The World of Yoshitomo Nara, Aera, , February 22, 1999
Azumaya, Takashi. to Mr.Nara : Solitude About Painting, le millenium, January 1999
Azumaya, Takashi. slash with a knife!, Studio Voice, February 1999
Azumaya, Takashi. Walking Alone, Moe, October 1999
Darling, Michael. Yoshitomo Nara: a wolf in sheep’s clothing, 1999
Fuse, Hideto. Culture, Mainichi Shinbum, July 2, 1999 
Joynes, Les. Yoshitomo Nara at Ginza Art Space, Art in America, July 1999, p. 106                 
Knode, Marilu. Nara’s kids, View On Colour, March 1999
Kojima, Yayoi. Yayoi’s Art Paradise, Ryuhkoh-tsuhshin, April/May 1999
Nishihara, Min. actualite, Figaro Japon, June 1999
Pagel, David. Los Angeles Times, March 12, 1999, p. F32
Saito, Naoko.  People, Rockin On Japan, August 1999
Smith, Roberta. Yoshitimo Nara, The New York Times, November 5, 1999, p. B39
Trescher, Stephan.  In the Floating World, neue bildende kunst, December 1999 Yoshimoto, Banana. Sub-culture is Super-culture: The Lines He Makes, Hanatsubaki, February 1999
Zellen, Jody. Yoshitomo Nara at Blum & Poe, artpress, May 1999, pg. 67-68                                   

1998
Hyuga, Akiko. Comic Icon, Bijutsu Techo, December 1998
Itoi, Kay. Star Track: The Next Generation, Yoshitomo Nara, Artnews, May 1998, p. 153
Miyamura, Noriko. Telepathy Exists Between His Art and Us, Bijutsu Techo, April 1998, pg. 129-142
Nagoya, Satoru. Ouverture: Yoshitomo Nara, Flash Art, May-June 1998, p. 91
Nara, Yoshitomo. In the Deepest Puddle, 1998
Nishimura, Tomohiro. New Figurative Painting in the 90’s, Bijutsu Techo, November 1998
Sanders, Mark and Fumiya Sawa. Yoshitomo Nara, Dazed & Confused, April 1998
Sawa, Fumiya. Toy Stories, Dazed & Confused, April 1998, pg. 98 - 101
Uchida, Akio. Talk of the Town: Happy Hour / Shonen Knife, Barfout, June 1998
Yoshiba, Saori. Culture Club, Rockin’On, February 1998

1997
Darling, Michael. Yoshitomo Nara, Frieze, November/December 1997, p. 85
Kamps, Toby. Inova Plans to Innovate, Art News, November 1997
Kiki, Kudo. catch up you!, Popeye, 25, March 1997
Matsui, Midori. Tokyo Pop, Flash Art, November/December 1997, p.110
Murata, Makoto. Close Up Artist, Optim, May 1997
Pagel, David. Prizing an Animated Approach to Life, Los Angeles Times, May 23, 1997, p. F22
Tsuchizaki, Masahiko. In the Deepest Puddle, Hon no Tabibito, November 1997

1996
Abe, Takaki. Contemporary Art, Oggi, February 1996
Ishida, Ayako. Snap, Crackle, Pop, The Daily Yomiuri, May 10, 1996
Matsui, Midori. The Micro Politics of Partiality- ‘Cuteness’ as a Sign of Deviation, Bijutsu Techo, February 1996
Nara, Yoshitomo. Message, Hanatsubaki, January 1996
Onishi, Wakato. Tokyo Pop, Asahi Shimbun, May 16, 1996
Tsurumoto, Chikara. Exhibition, Nishinihon Shimbun, February 1, 1996
Tsurumoto, Chikara. Artist’s Monologue, Chunichi Shimbun, February 7, 1996
Empty World, Yomiuri Shimbun, Kyushu, February 15, 1996

1995
Asahi Shimbun Weekly AERA, April 10, 1995, p. 69
Borg, Lucette. Japanese Figuren, NRC Handelsblad, November 24, 1995
Darling, Michael. Yoshitomo Nara, Art issues, September/October 1995. p. 44
Girl facing Reality (Review), Nikkei Art, May 1995, p. 26
Haito, Masahiko. Nara Yoshitomo, Hakutosha - Review, Bijutsu Techo, February 1995, pg. 188-190
Hiroe, Yasutaka. Review Nagoya, Bijutsu Techo, September 1995
Interview, Bijutsu Techo, July 1995, pg. 34-37
Nara, Yoshitomo. The Ordinary Life of an Ordinary Person, Bijutsu Techo, July 1995
Osada, Eriko, Awakening to Anxiety and Hope, In the Deepest Puddle,  March 10 – April 8, 1995
Pagel, David. The Los Angeles Times, July 27, 1995, pg. F1, F6, F12
Pia, March 14, 1995, p. 209
Ryuko Tsushin, January 1995
Shimizu, Minoru. Nara Yoshitomo, Itoki Crystal Hall - Review, Bijutsu Techo, March 1995, pg. 175-177
Studio Voice, April 1995, p. 67
Tager, Alisa. Report From Los Angeles, Art in America, October 1995, pg. 51-53
Tager, Alisa. Yoshitomo Nara-Pacific Babies, Poliester, Fall 1995
The Shinbijyutsu Shinbun, March 1, 1995
Touo Nippou, March 30, 1995
Yamashita, Rika. Interview, Meets, January 1995 

1994
Inoue, Takao. Art Space, Asahi Shimbun, April 16, 1994
Kuiper, Petra. Weises Band, Neue Rheinische Zeitung, February 8, 1994
Nishihara, Min. Suburbia Baby, The Suburbs of Art, Silvester Club, July 1994
Exhibitions Held Last Month Nara Declares The End of the Girl Civilian, Gekkan Bijutsu, February 1994
Takanashi, Tomoko. The Day I Met Ms. Medel, Geijustu Koron, March 1994
Gangster Girls by Nara Yoshitomo, Geijutsu Shincho, January 1994
Pia, December 13, 1994
The Shinbijyutsu Shinbun, December 11, 1994
Interview, L Magasin, December 1994

1993
Chunichi Shinbun, October 18, 1993
Pia, December 7, 1993
Nikkan Gendai, October 28, 1993
Nikkan Gendai, October 21, 1993
The Shinbijyutsu Shinbun, December 1, 1993
Yomiuri Shinbun, October 21, 1993                                   

1991
Ariake, Chihiro. Art, Chunichi Shimbun, April 16, 1991
Harmlos, Neue Rheinische Zeitung, January 26, 1991
Igami, Norie. Yoshitomo Nara, Bijutsu Techo, July 1991
Ishii, Yoji. Gallery, Yomiuri Shimbun, April 14, 1991
Kawohl, Anja. Elemente fur Harmlosen Eindruck, Rheinische Post, January 20, 1991
Kunst mit Kindern, Westdeutsche Zeitung, January 28, 1991 

1990
Steenhuis, Paul, Yoshitomo Nara, NRC Handelsblad, May 1, 1990 

1988
Yomiuri Shinbun, April 19, 1988                                    

Public Collections
The Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan
Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Málaga, Spain
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Hiroshima, Japan
The Japan Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, NY
Museum of Art and Design, Nurnberg, Germany
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
Peter Norton Family Foundation
Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music, Aichi, Japan
Rubell Family Collection
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Shiseido Art House, Tokyo Japan
Takamatsu City Museum of Art, Takamatsu, Japan
Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan