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Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition at David Zwirner is on view across the gallery’s 19th and 20th Street spaces in New York through Dec. 12, 2026. It brings together more than 50 new works, selected earlier pieces and 13 monumental snow-monster sculptures.
Yoshitomo Nara’s two-venue exhibition is on view at David Zwirner’s galleries on 19th and 20th Streets in New York through December 12, 2026, bringing together more than 50 new works and selected pieces from earlier decades. The presentation pairs Nara’s familiar portraits of big-headed girls with 13 monumental snow-monster sculptures, offering a look at the Japanese artist’s current work and its connections to his earlier practice.
The self-titled exhibition is Nara’s first major show with David Zwirner since joining the gallery after leaving Pace last year, according to the exhibition report. The two locations divide the presentation: paintings and drawings are shown on 20th Street, while the sculptures occupy the gallery’s 19th Street space. The show includes more than 50 new artworks as well as a selection of works from the 1980s and 1990s chosen by Nara.
Among the works on view are “Matryoshka” (2026), “Guns in hands” (2025) and “War Birth” (2026), as well as drawings made on the backs of envelopes. The report describes “War Birth” as a closely cropped portrait accompanied by the words “F*cking War / War Birth.” These works sit alongside older pieces such as “Untitled” (1988), allowing visitors to compare Nara’s earlier imagery with new paintings including “Hairstyle 1” and “Afterwords,” both from 2026.
Another group of works includes three portraits related to Nara’s “Midnight Tears” series, each more than six feet tall. The report says these paintings use translucent acrylic over colored pencil, with muted colors and broader brushwork. It also reports that Nara linked this technical direction to a recent glaucoma diagnosis in comments to The New York Times. The exhibition’s sculptures are bronze forms coated in matte white paint, modeled on snow monsters inspired by heavy childhood winters near Mount Hakkōda in Japan.
Nara’s New Work Meets Earlier Art
The exhibition places Nara’s widely recognized big-headed girl portraits within a broader presentation of his work, rather than presenting them in isolation. Drawings, paintings, earlier pieces and monumental sculpture show several forms of his practice in one visit. The arrangement also gives visitors a way to trace recurring elements—such as the tension between youthful appearance and a more defiant mood—across works made decades apart.
The political content is part of that reading. The report characterizes Nara’s work as shaped by anti-war themes and punk influences, and points to the direct wording in “War Birth” as one example. That interpretation should not be mistaken for a statement from the artist about every work in the show, but it helps explain why the portraits are not simply decorative images of children. Their expressions and settings can complicate conventional associations with innocence and sweetness.
The sculptures extend the exhibition beyond the gallery’s portrait imagery. Their scale and textured, snow-inspired forms give a physical dimension to a motif drawn from Nara’s childhood memories, while their placement across a second venue makes the show a larger New York presentation than a single-room display.
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A New York Return Across Two Galleries
The exhibition follows Nara’s departure from Pace and his move to David Zwirner last year, according to the source report. It is described as his first major presentation with the new gallery. The show is not a retrospective; the report points instead to a separate Nara exhibition planned at SFMOMA in 2027. That future presentation is a reported plan, not part of the current New York show.
The New York exhibition is also part of a wider period of public attention around Nara’s work. The source reports that three sculptures from the snow-monster series have been installed at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. It also notes that his 2011 painting “In the Milky Lake / Thinking One” is scheduled for a Fair Warning auction on November 19, with an estimate of $10 million to $15 million. The auction and the gallery exhibition are separate developments; the reported estimate is not a sale result.
Details Still Awaiting Confirmation
The source report gives the exhibition’s closing date and describes its contents, but does not provide a complete checklist, attendance figures or visitor numbers. Its description of a long opening-night line is an observation from the report, not a measured attendance total. The exact number of new works beyond the stated figure of more than 50, and the full breakdown by medium, are not specified.
The report attributes a change in technique to Nara’s recent glaucoma diagnosis, citing The New York Times, but does not include his full remarks or additional medical details. The condition’s effects on his work and any future plans he may have discussed are not established by the material provided. The reported auction estimate also does not indicate whether the painting will sell or for what price.
The Exhibition Runs Through December
Visitors can see the exhibition at David Zwirner’s 19th and 20th Street galleries through December 12, 2026. The source does not specify whether the gallery will announce additional events or programming. The separate Fair Warning auction for “In the Milky Lake / Thinking One” is scheduled for November 19, while the report says an exhibition at SFMOMA is planned for 2027.
Those future dates may extend attention around Nara’s work beyond the current New York show. Until then, the confirmed next steps are the exhibition’s remaining run and the scheduled auction; details about the 2027 presentation and the auction outcome remain pending.
Key Questions
Where is Yoshitomo Nara’s New York exhibition?
It is spread across David Zwirner’s galleries on 19th and 20th Streets in New York. Paintings and drawings are shown at the 20th Street space, while the sculptures are at 19th Street.
How long is the exhibition open?
The exhibition is scheduled to remain on view through December 12, 2026.
What is included in the show?
The presentation includes more than 50 new artworks, selected works from the 1980s and 1990s, paintings, drawings and 13 monumental snow-monster sculptures.
Is this a retrospective of Nara’s career?
No. The source describes the exhibition as not a retrospective. It includes selected earlier works alongside new art, while a separate SFMOMA exhibition is reported as planned for 2027.
What are the snow-monster sculptures made from?
The report describes them as bronze forms coated in matte white paint. They were first sculpted by hand in 2024 and later enlarged, and their imagery draws on Nara’s memories of snowy childhood winters near Mount Hakkōda.
Source: hypebeast.com
