New Authentic This is a set of two official Yoshitomo Nara posters, including items not for sale. Artist: Yoshitomo Nara Titles: for better or worse, Semaphore Born December 5, 1959, Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is known for his eclectic work, characterized by cartoonish paintings of melancholic children and animals. After earning a BFA and MFA from Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts, he studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the late 1980s, drawing inspiration from both Eastern and Western cultures throughout his life. Nara's childhood was in post-war Japan, a time when exposure to Western pop culture, such as manga, Disney animation, and pop music, was increasing, and is often cited as an early influence on Nara's work. While he has always stated that he does not draw from Japanese manga, his distinctive large-eyed portraits have often prompted art critics to draw parallels between the two. Instead, he argues that he elevates his work to another spiritual level by combining innocent children with cynical expressions and incompatible objects (such as sharp knives) to reflect important issues of religion and philosophy. Yoshitomo Nara has many ardent supporters and has held numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including a major retrospective that toured many locations from 2003 to 2005. Nara's work is held in many major museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the National Museum of Art, Osaka. Official Yoshitomo Nara posters.