Guide to Entries

The Catalogue Raisonné is researched and maintained by the Yoshitomo Nara Foundation (hereafter, the “Foundation”). It is an ongoing project that aims to document all works by Yoshitomo Nara. As new information becomes available, records are updated accordingly.

High-quality color reproductions are used throughout the database. If unavailable, low-resolution images, black-and-white photographs, or exhibition installation shots may be used as visual references. If there is no image on file, this is indicated.

Works in artist’s frames are reproduced framed. Otherwise, where possible, front edges of works and profiles are shown, especially for works with irregular borders and/or measurable depth. Multiple views are provided of three-dimensional works.

The photographs in this database have been gathered from numerous sources for the sole purpose of documenting the artist’s work. Images have been supplied by the artist, the artist’s studio, museums, galleries, and collectors, and every effort has been made to identify and credit each photographer. If notified of any errors or omissions, the Foundation will undertake to correct these at the earliest opportunity. All reproductions on the database have been resized, color-corrected, and formatted by Abeism Corporation, Tokyo.

YNF No.

Each work included in the Catalogue Raisonné is assigned a unique YNF (Yoshitomo Nara Foundation) number.

Title (Original)

The title as assigned by the artist. Works without a confirmed title are listed as “Untitled”.

Title (Translated)

Translations of titles, into English or Japanese, as approved by the artist or the Foundation.

Co-creator

Artist(s) who collaborated with Nara to create the artwork.
Nara has collaborated with numerous artists throughout his career, including Shiro Matsui, Takashi Murakami, David Shrigley, and Hiroshi Sugito.
With Sugito, Nara formed the creative unit H&P. Chaguin, a coined name that combines the surnames of two artists they both admire—Marc Chagall and Paul Gauguin. Within this collaboration, Nara worked under the name Henri Chaguin, while Sugito adopted the name Pierre Chaguin, each producing works in a style distinct from their individual practice.
In Tobiu in 2020, Nara, Kineta Kunimatsu, Hiroyasu Kosukegawa, and Misae Okuyama formed the artist collective The Snowflakes.

Year

The year of completion is recorded where known. If the date is unknown, an approximate date is indicated, following the abbreviation “c.” (circa). Circa dates are determined by the Foundation with reference to comparative works and related documentation.
Editioned sculptures and sculptural enlargements are dated according to the production year of the original prototype/model. The year each copy of the edition is cast or fabricated is recorded.
For prints, the year is either the date of printing or the year inscribed by the artist on the B.A.T. (bon à tirer) or approved proof.

Materials and Technique

A wide range of materials, mediums, and techniques are employed interchangeably by the artist across his art practice.
The artist constructs and prepares supports himself, often integrating collaged or layered elements across their surfaces. This formal development of the support is distinct from any compositional use of collage. The supports are assembled from a variety of materials, including repurposed objects: everyday items, such as used envelopes and paper, corrugated board packing boxes, scraps of fabric, wooden panels, and warehouse pallets. All constituent materials are detailed.
Where a medium or support material has a commercial name or a specific previous function, for example as a window frame, an envelope, or a curtain, this is identified.
Works composed of multiple elements, including artworks, objects from the artist’s personal collections, and everyday items, such as furniture, the medium description is standardized under Installation (mixed media).

Inscription

Only recto inscriptions are recorded, transcribed as they appear, without translation.

Size

Dimensions are recorded in centimeters in the order Height × Width × Depth (h × w × d).
For two-dimensional works, the unframed, edge-to-edge dimensions of the support are recorded, with additional depth measurements for works on three-dimensional supports or in artist’s frames. If it has not been possible to measure a work unframed, this is noted.
Where dimensions are approximate or variable, this is indicated.

Edition

For editioned works, the number of the declared edition and artist’s proofs is stated. Within sculpture editions, color variations are noted.
Where dimensions vary within an edition, the measurements of the first completed copy are used for the primary record. Dimensions specific to individual copies are provided in Notes.

Founder

The foundry or fabrication workshop responsible for the casting or production of a sculpture is named.
For prints and photographs, the printer or publisher is recorded.

Collection

If a work is owned by a museum, cultural institution, or a publicly accessible corporate or private collection, or on long-term loan, the name of the collection is recorded.
For editioned works, the copy number held by the collection is included.

BSS No.

BSS numbers correspond to the cataloguing published in Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works (Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, 2011: abbreviated throughout this website as BSS2011).
Each number starts with a letter that denotes the artist’s category, determined by Nara prior to the publication of The Complete Works. There are crossovers between conventional definitions of method and medium: for example, drawings can be executed using brush and paint.
The abbreviations stand for: P = Painting; B = Billboard Painting; S = Sculpture; C = Ceramic; E = Editioned work; PH = Photograph; D = Drawing/Painting (Work on Paper). Where C follows the category code, e.g. PC-, this denotes a collaborative work. The category abbreviation is followed by the year of production and a three-digit sequential number within the year.

Studio No.

The inventory number assigned by the artist’s studio for collection management purposes.

Notes

Any updates or amendments to entries are recorded in Notes and dated.
Any additional information considered significant by the Foundation, such as details on materials, construction, and revisions to works, is provided in Notes.
If an artwork is modified by the artist, following its initial presentation, both states of the work, before and after revision, are catalogued on the same record. Photographic documentation of the work in its first state is included, and details of the reworking are explained in Notes.
Where the original configuration of an installation or multi-part work has been altered by the artist, the current and previous versions are catalogued on the same record, with details of the changes recorded in Notes. If elements of the original configuration have been dispersed, through removal or loss, this is noted.
Works that share a common concept or theme, as determined by the artist, are identified in Notes as Series.

Related Works

Installations created by the artist, for an exhibition or other presentation, are catalogued in their entirety under their own YNF numbers.
Except for everyday objects and found materials that are not individually catalogued, the record of each constituent component is linked to the Installation in Related Works.

• Museums, galleries, cultural institutions, and publicly accessible corporate and private collections with holdings of artworks by Yoshitomo Nara are listed and linked to the corresponding database records. For editioned works, the copy number is included where verified.
• Collections are identified according to information supplied at the point of acquisition. Collection names are given in Japanese and English, unless the name is established in its original language, in which case this is retained. If ownership has subsequently been transferred, or inaccuracies are identified, the Foundation requests that this is brought to its attention for amendment.
• If works are on long-term loan to a museum or institution, this is recorded in Collection.
• As new collection information is received, it is added to the Notes of the corresponding work, with the date of the revision.

Products conceived and created by Yoshitomo Nara, and officially licensed by the Foundation, include exhibition merchandise, selected publications, CDs, and other items for which the artist has supplied artwork or granted reproduction rights.

If products produced by the artist are undocumented on this database, the Foundation requests that these items are brought to its attention for review.

PRD No.

Each product is assigned a unique PRD (Product) number.

Title

Official product names, as designated by the producer or publisher, are used.
Unnamed products launched in conjunction with an exhibition are recorded under the Exhibition Title (Venue), Product, and Specification.
Unnamed standalone products are identified by the Producer (brand or retailer), Product, and Specification.
Information regarding the background of a project, the production process, and physical characteristics of a product, may also be included in Notes.

Category

The Foundation categorizes officially licensed products under the following groupings, devised according to the circumstances in which items were conceived or produced:

• Artist Collaboration: products created in collaboration with artists, designers, or musicians.
• Brand Collaboration: products developed with commercial manufacturers.
• Charity: products for which the artist donated copyright royalties. Alternatively, if these items were launched in conjunction with an exhibition or music event, they are categorized under Exhibition or Music Event. Donation information is recorded in Notes.
• Core: regular-production merchandise.
• Creative Works
• Exhibition: merchandise produced for a specific exhibition.
• Museum: merchandise produced by museums or museum shops.
• Music Event: merchandise produced for music festivals or music-related events.
• Other: miscellaneous products that do not fall within any other category.
• Publication: artist’s books; monographs, exhibition catalogues, and magazine special issues; and publications co-authored by the artist.
• Reproduction: copyright clearance granted for reproduction of artworks in third-party publications and media.
• Special Supplement: complimentary and promotional goods.

Type

Product classifications established by the Foundation for the purpose of organizing the archive.

Year

The year of the product launch or release date.