Haze Days: The Unique Method of Yoshitomo Nara

A pearlescent puddle ripples across the atmospheric surface of Haze Days, from which a young girl emerges to herald the genesis of Yoshitomo Nara’s mature painterly style. Painted in 1998 during one of the most significant periods of Nara’s creative output, Haze Days depicts a recurring figure within Nara’s iconic repertoire of kawaii characters: a rosy-cheeked young girl, here injured with her head wrapped in a bandage, yet standing defiantly to glare outwards with penetrating emerald eyes. The subject stands with an attitude of contempt rather than pain, the petite but powerful girl in Haze Days perfectly resonates with the rebellious spirit and youthful defiance at the heart of Nara’s oeuvre. Haze Days from Yoshitomo Nara will be offered in Sotheby’s Now Evening Auction on 18 May at Sotheby’s New York as a part of the New York Sales presented in partnership with CELINE.