From November 2024 to April 2025, the Museum Frieder Burda will stage a large-scale solo exhibition by Yoshitomo Nara. Who is this artist and what can we expect from the show?

Born in Hirosaki in Northern Japan in 1959, Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most influential artists of his generation. His trademark images are his highly stylized representations of girls, reminiscent of the Japanese cult of mangas and anime’s – powerful compositions that are now considered veritable icons of contemporary painting. For our exhibition in Baden-Baden, we have gathered numerous paintings, drawings and installations from over four decades of his creative activity – an organizational feat that was only possible due to our close collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Hayward Gallery in London.

On the international art market, Nara’s paintings are selling for dizzying. What accounts for this immense fascination with his art?

At first glance, Nara’s images appear to be directly borrowed from popular culture, distinctly correlating with the pervasive Japanese fascination with kawaii, or childlike cuteness. However, his figure paintings are ultimately always full of fractures, contradictions and surprises. More specifically, they often act as symbolic ciphers for loneliness, social isolation and melancholy – or else as potent expressions of frustration, anger and rebellious aggression. In these compositions, the artist not only processed memories of his own childhood and youth, but also incorporated his staunch interest in political activism. Nara’s firm stance as a vocal pacifist as well as his opposition to Japan’s controversial role as one of the world’s leading nuclear powers are key in this context.

What do you think is the special appeal of this Nara exhibition?

Nara lived in Germany for 12 years and it was here, far from his home, that he gradually developed his mature visual idiom. Thanks to the collaboration with Bilbao and London, we have now been able to put together his first major retrospective at a German museum, giving a spectacular overview of his entire development as an artist. This also includes outstanding pieces from collections from as far away as Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. This is a real treat for the eyes and an absolute must-see for anyone interested in Japanese art and culture.

Did you get to meet the artist in person?

I met Yoshitomo Nara when I visited the opening of the exhibition in Bilbao and I was immediately blown away by his wit and charisma. Of course, it was an absolute stroke of luck for us that Nara was involved in the organization of the retrospective from the very beginning and that he himself was the mastermind behind the scenography in Baden-Baden. Working in close dialogue with living artists is firmly rooted in the tradition of the Museum Frieder Burda and is therefore particularly fitting in the context of this show.

Which projects can we look forward to in Baden-Baden after Yoshitomo Nara?

In 2025, we will be presenting a high-profile program that includes not only the Nara show but also an opulent retrospective of the American artist Richard Pousette-Dart: a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism who influenced such giants of modern painting as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. The big highlight of the year will undoubtedly be our exhibition Impressionism in Germany: Max Liebermann and His Times, which will open at the beginning of October 2025. This exhibition is a collaboration with the Museum Barberini in Potsdam and will give a lavish overview of one of the most exciting chapters of German art-history.