A rare piece from Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara will go on live auction through Sotheby’s on September 28, 2026, their website reports. The painting from 1994 is named “Present” and is considered one of the defining pieces of his celebrated knife-bearing series. It depicts an androgynous child with angled eyes, rosy cheeks, and a chubby fist clutching a blade while holding a steadfast gaze.
Measuring 180 by 150 centimetres, Sotheby’s reports that it is one of the two largest knife-bearing canvas of Nara’s from the 1990s, alongside Nice to See You Again (1996), which received the artist’s fourth-highest auction price at the time of writing. Nice to See You Again (1996) was sold for over $15 million in 2021.
Image credit: Sotheby’s
Image credit: Sotheby’s
As a huge fan of Nara, I’m excited to see how much Present will fetch at auction. The artist is having an excellent year, with new paintings and drawings set to debut at his upcoming solo exhibition in New York at David Zwirner. The exhibition starts October 29, 2026.
Art © 2021 Yoshitomo Nara