奈良美智作「Fuck You」@ SBI アートオークション・カタログ表紙 NARA Yoshitomo's work "Fuck You" on the cover of the SBI Art Auction catalogue

奈良美智 NARA Yoshitomo "Fuck You" 1998, Acrylic and coloured pencil on paper, 84 x 59 cm, detail // ここに載せた写真とスクリーンショットは、すべて「好意によりクリエーティブ・コモン・センス」の文脈で、日本美術史の記録の為に発表致します。

Holy fucking shit! くっそやべえ！(Kusso-yabe〜) 🤣
Usually I do NOT follow auction results in real time, however, as I’m still writing and editing my text on newcomer artist TOMOZAWA Kotao here on ART+CULTURE, I had to check yesterday’s SBI Art Auction.
See also:
A New Art Star is Born: TOMOZAWA Kotao. Spiritual Transfiguration Oil Paintings @ Seibu Department Store, Shibuya
新日本現代アート・スター油絵画家友沢こたお
https://art-culture.world/articles/tomozawa-kotao-友沢-こたお/

In this context, I was wondering how many “Fuck You” works did Yoshitomo execute until this day?

For fuck’s sake, Jeez! Not 5, neither 10… a whole bunch of 30 “Fuck” art pieces by Yoshitomo!
That’s fucking insane! Our extremely busy art worker really LOVES to use the word “fuck ya!” as artistic masturbation practice. 🤣

Exactly 1 week ago, I wrote here on ART+CULTURE, that our famous art star also quite often uses the word “motherfucker” うんこ野郎 (Unko-Yaro) in Japanese.
Quote:
我が国にっぽん🇯🇵、大人気の巨匠である、奈良くんの「ファック・ユー！」を気になる〜！！
彼が、このような文脈では「うんこ野郎！」(英語：You’re piece of shit / motherfucker; ドイツ語： Arschloch) も使っている。ºし`
Refer to:
奈良美智の新作「Fuck You!」 @ ブラムギャラリー、東京
NARA Yoshitomo’s new work “Fuck You!” @ BLUM Gallery, Tokyo
https://art-culture.world/articles/yoshitomo-nara-fuck-you/

Yoshitomo Nara Fuck You! 2023 BLUM Gallery — 奈良美智 NARA Yoshitomo “Fuck You!” 2023, Grease stick on paper, 43 1/8 x 31 1/8 inches @ BLUM Gallery, Tokyo

In case you didn’t know, English English / American English is NOT my mother language. Neither Japanese. Therefore, please be careful in analysing my true psycho-character. Capisci?!

Now, let’s get to that “Fuck You” Nara cover of this January’s SBI Art Auction catalogue.

奈良美智作 Fuck You @ SBI アートオークション・カタログ表紙 — 奈良美智作「Fuck You」@ SBI アートオークション・カタログ表紙　NARA Yoshitomo’s work “Fuck You” on the cover of the SBI Art Auction catalogue. January 2024

Well, I shall hereby notice a paradigm shift in the practice by Japanese auction houses. A “Fuck You” cover had been imaginable in the, mostly conservative-minded, universe of Japanese auction houses.
On top of that, Yoshitomo appealed in the local art market with TWO “Fuck You” works (from 1998 + 2023) in only 1 week, see the opening reception / exhibition at the Blum Gallery, means 「ザ・ファックユー in 東京」”The-FUCK-YOU-in-Tokyo” for January 2024… 🤣

I may happily emphasise, that the seller obviously was not an art flipper, as the work is from 1998. The provenance of LOT 90 had been printed in the catalogue with “Tomio Koyama Gallery”, “Tokyo Private Collection, Japan”.

奈良美智 NARA Yoshitomo Fuck You 1998, Acrylic and coloured pencil on paper, 84 x 59 cm — 奈良美智 NARA Yoshitomo “Fuck You” 1998, Acrylic and coloured pencil on paper, 84 x 59 cm

https://www.sbiartauction.co.jp/en/auction/detail/121/90?country=&category=&sort=&planned_category=&artist=&title=&lotno=&medium=&exeuted=&date=20240127
The estimate had been put by the auction house @ 60.000.000 〜 90.000.000 Yen (6千万～ 9千万円 / 422.500 〜 633.800 US$). The highest bidder was willing to pay for Yoshitomo’s work on PAPER (!!) a whopping 115.000.000 Yen (1億1.500万円 / 764.424 US$) + fee.

Besides being a Japanese artist (oil painter), I do also collect since about 30 years, mostly Japanese contemporary artists. Recently I could sell a work 5 times the estimate. In this sense, I assume that the Japanese art market is experiencing a kind of revitalisation. Time will tell, how long this situation will continue.
ザ・FUKU in 2024。 🤣

Tokyo, 28th of January 2024
亜真里男 Mario A