Press Release Hong Kong For Immediate Release Hong Kong Eldon Chim / Carmen Ting +852 2822 8146 / 140 eldon.chim@sothebys.com / carmen.ting@sothebys.com Rhonda Yung +852 2822 8143 rhonda.yung@sothebys.com London Simon Warren +44 20 7293 5166 simon.warren@sothebys.com New York Lauren Gioia +1 212 606 7176 lauren.gioia@sothebys.com Tokyo Yumi Maruyama +813 3230 2755 yumi.maruyama@sothebys.com Sotheby s Hong Kong To Offer At Its Spring Sale 2013 The World s First Private Collection Of Works By Renowned Contemporary Japanese Artist Yoshitomo Nara A testimony of the unique connection between the collector, Shun Kurokochi, and the artist in the past two decades Hong Kong Public Exhibition: 3 April 5 April Auction: 5 April ^ White Night acrylic on canvas 2006 162.4 x 130.4 cm (Est. HK$4.8 6.4 million / US$620,000 - $830,000) Hong Kong, February 2013 Sotheby s Hong Kong is delighted to announce the sale of the world s first private collection dedicated to the works of renowned contemporary Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara (b.1959) You Are Not Alone - Yoshitomo Nara Works from the Kurokochi Collection, to take place on 5 April at Hall 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Collection, amassed by Mr. Shun Kurokochi, an ordinary man working at a bank in Tokyo, comprises 35 lots, ranging from acrylic on canvas,
works on paper, edition prints to products such as wristwatches and skateboard dated between 1988 and 2006. All the works, preserved in pristine condition, are fresh to the auction market, and have been published and showcased in various important Nara exhibitions worldwide including I Don t Mind, If You Forget Me and Nara + graf : A to Z. With some of the works dating back to the late 1980s when the artist was in his late twenties, this Collection, estimated to fetch in excess of o f HK$18 million / US$2.4 million*, is a retrospective of Nara s artistic career and a testimony of the unique connection between the collector and the artist in the past two decades. Kurokochi, who has been living and working abroad for over a year now, has been a keen supporter of Nara long before the artist shot to international fame and the two developed a unique personal connection through his collecting journey. Nara has always addressed the loneliness in his childhood as a central theme in his work. It is precisely this feeling that connects him with collectors including Kurokochi, who built an extraordinary art collection by saving up in exchange for Nara s works you feel lonely, but you are not alone. Evelyn Lin, Sotheby s Head of Contemporary Asian Art, enthuses: We are honoured to present You Are Not Alone - Yoshitomo Nara Works from the Kurokochi Collection, the world s first auction of a private collection dedicated to the Yoshitomo Nara s works, alongside our Spring Sale Series this year. From collecting Nara s works, following Nara s footsteps around the globe, to interacting with the artist, Kurokochi regards art as an important part of his life. His endeavour truly inspires art lovers who intend to collect art they appreciate. Art collection is indeed not an unaffordable luxury. Shun Kurokochi, the owner of the collection, says: Assembled over nearly two decades, these works reminisce of childhood longings that I still feel as an adult. Being a lonely child myself, I see myself in the lonely and annoyed-looking children in Nara s works, and I wished to do for them everything I craved from my loved ones. This strong affinity drove me to give up the small luxuries in life in exchange for these works. Through collecting I developed a personal relationship with the artist whose intelligence I admire greatly. I am now ready to part with this Collection, and I believe through Sotheby s they will find new owners who are equally touched by them. 2
HIGHLIGHTS White Night acrylic on canvas 2006 162.4 x 130.4 cm (illustrated on page 1) Est. HK$4.8 6.4 million / US$620,000-830 30,000 White Night represents a significant shift in the colour palette in Nara s work, consisted of multi-layered paint and brushstrokes. The eyes of the girl, in particular, are no longer in two or three solid tones, but rather encompass a full range of hues and shades. It is an important work that displays the highly imbued sentimentality within the artist s mature career phase. It was created during a crucial transition period in Nara s career in 2000s after he began to collaborate closely with the architecture and design collective, graf, in 2003. It was showcased in one of Nara s most elaborate solo exhibitions to date, Nara + graf : A to Z. Sleepless Night (Standing) acrylic on canvas 1997 120 x 110 cm Est. HK$3.2 4.8 million / US$410,000-620,000 The pastel colour palette and sharpened contours of the eyes critically define the beloved style that became internationally recognised in the 1990s. While the blue dress is frequently seen in many of his works, the full-body portrait is an essential composition that constantly reappears throughout the artist s entire oeuvre as well. Lamp Flower Girl acrylic on canvas 1993 150.3 x 140cm Est. HK$2 2.8 million / US$260 3 First exhibited at Nara s solo exhibition Be Happy, at Galerie Humanite in Nagoya, Lamp Flower Girl belongs to Nara s earliest body of work that featured children as the main theme. The bold black outline and solid colour tone signify two major characteristics in his aesthetics from the early to mid-1990s, shortly after his study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. The composition of the large head, high forehead and bulbous facial features, especially the elongated eyes, together formed a crucial prototype to the extremely popular iconic style that emerged in mid-1990s. Pale Egg Mountain acrylic on canvas 1999 50 x 40 cm Est. HK$650,000 950,000 / US$80,000 120,000 Arguably the most popular icon in Nara s work aside from the children portrait, the sleepy-eyed puppy also dominates his drawings, paintings and sculptural works. Pale Egg Mountain depicts a close-up of the well-liked animal that certainly reveals a much closer resemblance with his human counterpart. 3
Drawing for Argentine Hag (set of fifteen) acrylic, coloured pencil on paper 2002 biggest: 34.3 x 36.3 cm; smallest: 17.5 x 20 cm Est. HK$1.2 1.6 million / US$1 $160 210 10,000 This exceptional set of works serves as illustrations for the novel Argentine Hag by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto, and is thus rarely seen in the market. Many of the motifs in the work, such as pyramids and dolphins, are not only visually distinctive, but also uniquely situated within Nara s practice. The novel s subsequent adaption into a film further highlights the subtle relationship of Nara s work with popular culture. Chick the Ambassador acrylic on canvas 1993 100 x 90 cm Est. HK$800,000 1.2 million / US$100,000 1 The chick from Chick the Ambassador can frequently be seen in Nara s works from 1993. It is one of the few animals to have been depicted by Nara in his expanding oeuvre and represents the earliest artistic practice of the artist. Kai-Ten acrylic painted on cotton mounted on fiberglass reinforced plastic 2001 58 x 58 x 18 cm Est. HK$1.2 1.6 million / US$1 $160-210 10,000 Made with acrylic paint on cotton on fiberglass reinforced plastic, Kai-Ten signifies Nara s experimental attempt in shifting towards three-dimensional paintings. The circular dish-shaped work challenges viewers in re-interpreting the traditional plane of painting, and remains one of Nara s most exciting medium ever applied. Pandora's Box acrylic on canvas 1990 90.4 x 90.2 cm Est. HK$800,000 1.2 million / US$10 $100,000-160 Painted in 1990, Pandora s Box embodies various intriguing themes from Nara s practice. The girl in the work is seen stepping in a water puddle, one of the most ubiquitous motifs in his works. The piece also draws on the reference from the Pandora s Box from Greek mythology. ^ All images should be marked and no permission is granted to alter the images in any way. 4
NOTES TO EDITORS 1) Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Sales 2013 Calendar (The schedule is subject to change) Auction Category 3 Apr The elbullicellar sold to benefit the elbullifoundation The Classic Cellar from a Great American Collector 11 4 Apr Finest and Rarest Wines Including Wines Direct from Bodegas Vega Sicilia 5 Apr Fine Chinese Paintings You Are Not Alone - Yoshitomo Nara Works from the Kurokochi Collection In Transition The Didier Hirsch Collection of Contemporary Chinese Art from 1990 s Contemporary Asian Art 6 Apr Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings 20th Century Chinese Art 7 Apr Important Watches 8 Apr Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art A Magnificent Falangcai Bowl from the Collection of Dr. Alice Cheng Water, Pine And Stone Retreat Collection, Scholarly Art III The Meiyintang Collection, Part V An Important Selection of Imperial Chinese Porcelains Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite Hong Kong Exhibition and Auction Venue Hall 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (New Wing) 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong II) Asia Travelling Exhibitions Calendar Date City Venue 19 & 20 Feb Tokyo Sotheby s, Fuerte Kojimachi Building 6 & 7 Mar Shanghai Four Seasons Hotel 9 & 10 Mar Beijing Four Seasons Hotel 16 & 17 Mar Singapore The Regent Singapore 23 & 24 Mar Taipei Fubon International Convention Centre FOR MORE NEWS FROM SOTHEBY S Visit : www.sothebys.com/en/inside/services/press/news/news.html Follow : www.twitter.com/sothebys & www.weibo.com/sothebyshongkong Join : www.facebook.com/sothebys Watch : www.youtube.com/sothebys Sotheby s has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby s became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby s presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby s BIDnow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby s offers collectors the resources of Sotheby s Financial Services, the world s only full-service art financing company, as well as private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S 2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Contemporary Art department, and two retail businesses, Sotheby s Diamonds and Sotheby s Wine. Sotheby s has a global network of 90 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID). *Estimates do not include buyer s premium and prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer s premium. Images are available upon request All catalogues are available online at www.sothebys.com or through Sotheby s Catalogue ipad App 5