The year 2000 marked a significant turning point in Yoshitomo Nara’s artistic career. That year, he concluded his 12-year stay in Germany and returned to Japan, shifting his creative style from the early punk symbols and provocative language to a more introspective and emotionally nuanced expression. The temperament of his works transitioned from Rebellion to Gaze, moving away from loud proclamations and instead establishing a quiet yet intimate psychological connection with viewers through his imagery.
pink, created in 2000
Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 145 cm
This season, Phillips’ Hong Kong autumn auction will feature a painting created by Nara in 2000, marked as the first time this work is being released at auction, with an estimated value between HKD 60 million and 80 million. The piece employs a rare half-body composition, with the girl gazing directly at the viewer, her emotions restrained and complex. This composition style appears in only about 11 of the approximately 33 paintings Nara created in 2000, making it extremely rare and distinctly different from the full-body poses or decorative background works that became more common in his later pieces.
Half-Length Composition is Rare, Market Response is Traditionally Positive
In the past decade, Nara’s works featuring half-body portrait compositions have been extremely rare in the market, particularly concentrated between 1999 and 2001, after which they nearly vanished, creating a phenomenon recognized by the market as Limited Edition Release. These pieces, characterized by direct gazes, rich emotions, and skillful use of negative space, have captured the admiration of high-end collectors.
Nice to See You Again, created in 1996
acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 cm
Taking Nice to See You Again (created in 1996) as an example, it was sold for US$15,430,800 (approximately HKD 120.3 million) at Sotheby’s in New York in November 2021, becoming a signature piece among Nara’s half-figure compositions at that time. The image of the girl gazes directly at the viewer; the simplicity of the composition is strikingly powerful, showing a high degree of visual and emotional alignment with pink.
The size of a piece plays a crucial role in determining its value. For example, a half-length work measuring just 60 x 50 centimeters, despite its unique composition, will likely have a more conservative market value. In contrast, pink, measuring 160 x 145 centimeters, falls into the category of museum-quality large works. It far surpasses smaller pieces in both display impact and collection value, making it highly attractive to both private collectors and institutional buyers.
The market pricing is conservative, but there is still room for breakthrough.
The estimated value of pink is between HKD 60 million and 80 million. In comparison to several previous works from the same critical period that have already surpassed the 100 million mark, such as Missing in action (2021, HKD 123.9 million), Nice to See You Again, and Greenhouse Girl, this appraisal is clearly at a lower level. This may stem from the auction house’s conservative valuation strategy for first-time offerings, or it could be an effort to expand the bidding space for collectors, creating a broader area for market response.
Missing in action, created in 2000
Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 145 cm
Although pink doesn’t feature the red backgrounds or text elements seen in other works, its color choices and the characters’ expressions are relatively understated. However, the deep emotions displayed in this piece, along with its historical context during a period of artistic transition, lend it a greater academic significance and depth for collectors. The subtle layers of light blue and pink in the composition remind us of the artist’s mastery and transformation of form and color after receiving European art education, while also highlighting the process of their style shifting towards Emotional introspection.
These works may not have an immediate eye-catching effect, but their Deep Reading and Sense of Time often attract institutions with a curator’s vision or seasoned collectors for long-term retention.
Supply is extremely rare, belongs to the auction house __XXX_id__.
Looking back over recent years in the market, it’s incredibly rare to find works by Yoshitomo Nara that meet the following conditions: created in 2000, half-figure composition, large-scale size, never before seen in auction houses, and a complete publishing record. Observations indicate that items with these criteria only surface approximately every three to five years, placing them in a very low release category, defined by the market as level Golden Combination.
In recent years, Phillips has frequently handled works by Nara, such as baby blue, Looking for treasure, and Greenhouse Girl, achieving impressive results consistently. However, most of these pieces feature full-body compositions or decorative imagery. The half-length gaze represented by pink is rare, playing a strategically complementary role in terms of collection series, art historical review, and psychological depiction.
pink has also been included in the first volume of Yoshitomo Nara’s complete works, with clear provenance and significant potential for academic use. For collectors planning exhibitions, publications, or establishing a complete series, this is an incredibly sought-after asset.
pink Auction and Preview Information
Lot Details
Artwork Title: Yoshitomo Nara pink
Year of Creation: 2000
Medium and Dimensions: Acrylic on canvas, 160 x 145 cm
Estimated Price: HK$60,000,000 – 80,000,000
Publication Record: Included in the artist’s complete works (Volume One)
Auction Record: First appearance
Auction Details
Session: Modern and Contemporary Art Hong Kong Evening Auction
Date: September 28, 2025 (Sunday)
Venue: Phillips Headquarters in Asia
8 West Kowloon Cultural District, Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
G Level, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Building
Preview Arrangement
[London]
Location: Phillips Berkeley Square
Exhibition Dates:
August 1 (Friday) 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
August 4 to 14 (Monday to Friday) 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
(Closed on weekends)
[Taipei]
Location: BELLAVITA B1 Art Space
28 Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Date: September 13 to 14
[Hong Kong]
Location: Fortis Hong Kong Asia Headquarters (same address as the auction)
Date: September 22 to 28
