LACMA displays work of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara
"I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" (2017) is an acrylic work done by artist Yoshitomo Nara on canvas. (photo courtesy of Mike Tran/LACMA)
The Los Angeles County Museum­­ of­ ­Art presents "Yoshitomo Nara," the first international retrospective of artist Yoshitomo Nara.
"Yoshitomo Nara" surveys more than 30 years of the artist's work through the lens of his longtime passion for music. Known for his portraits, Nara's subjects are vaguely ominous-looking characters with penetrating gazes that occassionally wield objects such as knives or cigarettes, as well as heads and figures that float in dreamy landscapes.
Guest curated by Mika Yoshitake, the exhibition comprises more than 100 major works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics, an installation that re-creates his drawing studio and never-before-exhibited idea sketches.
One of the exhibition highlights includes "Miss Forest," a 26-foot outdoor painted bronze sculpture that will be installed on Wilshire Boulevard.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with a foreword by Michael Govan, introductory essay by Mika Yoshitake and text by Nara himself. A limited-edition of the catalogue features a clamshell case with 14 booklets, as well as a vinyl with original music and covers by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo on the A side and songs from the '60s and '70s selected by Nara on the B side.
Regular museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
LACMA is located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. For information, call (323)857-6000, or visit lacma.org.
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