Collectors: Yoshitomo Nara "Too Young To Die" Pop Ashtray 2002, Excellent & Chic

Description: On offer is a rare artwork created by a central figure in the postmodern Japanese and international art scene, Yoshitomo Nara. Nara was born in 1959 in Aomori prefecture, obtained a master's degree at Aichi University of the Arts, then moved to Germany in 1988 to become a Meisterschüler (master student) at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, founded in 1762 (electing its first female professor, Catharina Treu, in 1766!). During his sojourn in Germany, Nara developed his personal style through experimenting with Japanese and Western popular culture themes, extending his efforts into the broadest categories of creative work, from painting to photography, ceramics, sculpture and large installations. Typical topics address childhood emotions, anxieties and rebellion, which he processes in a graphically simple, contemplative style. He includes words or short phrases into some of his work to help constrain the viewer's interpretation of his creative intent. You can study more of Nara's work and his career at his website (and here comes the eBay workaround for website information: First Name Last Name dot org). To date, some 80 of his artworks have sold for over $1M at auction; in November 2021 his painting "Nice To See You Again" went for $15,430,800 at Sotheby's in New York. Here is your chance to secure his art at a much more popular price point! In a 2002 collaboration with Bozart (sound out: ''beaux-arts"), Nara created the "Too Young To Die" ashtray depicted above, in a limited edition with the artist's signature and the Bozart emblem reproduced on the back. Note that the sticker you find preserved there identifies China as the place of manufacture. Some of the items you can occasionally find on the Internet have this sticker removed or even list its origin as Japan. Not so, I dare say. I bought this ashtray about 15 or so years ago to discourage our teenage daughters from smoking. Accordingly, it was intended, as all art might be, for messaging and persuasion, as a display rather than as an actual ashtray. The Bauhaus artists believed that form should follow function, and isn't then an ashtray-shaped sign the most appropriate form to express this function? Positively snarky, if you ask me, as it sits on the table both in defiance and as a quiet admonition... If you study my images closely, you will find a small number of imperfections. This item was not produced to very high quality standards originally, so there are a couple of tiny spots (see paper clip) where the glaze did not adhere during firing, as well as about 5 or 6 more where the glaze came off after firing. Everything should show in the photos and none is casually visible - you need to inspect at close range. Compared to other offers you may find from time to time, this piece is in excellent shape, and if you do not agree, don't bid! The ashtray measures 9 7/8" or 25 cm across, 1 3/8 or 3.5 cm high. I make every effort to ship on the day I receive order confirmation, subject only to post office opening times. Thank for you consideration.

Price: 1095 USD

Location: Lexington, Kentucky

End Time: 2024-12-17T18:42:10.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD