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Yoshitomo Nara’s first major exhibition with David Zwirner is on view at the gallery’s 19th and 20th Street spaces in New York through December 12, 2026. It brings together new paintings and drawings, selected earlier works and 13 monumental sculptures inspired by snowy winters near the artist’s childhood home.
Yoshitomo Nara’s first major exhibition with David Zwirner is on view across the gallery’s 19th and 20th Street locations in New York, bringing together paintings, drawings, earlier works and 13 monumental sculptures. The exhibition runs through December 12, 2026, and presents new work alongside pieces that trace the Japanese artist’s development.
At the gallery’s 20th Street space, paintings and drawings gather new and familiar versions of Nara’s large-headed figures. The works include “Matryoshka” (2026), “Guns in hands” (2025) and “War Birth” (2026), whose closely cropped portrait is accompanied by the words “F*cking War / War Birth.” The presentation also includes drawings made on the backs of envelopes and a selection of works from the 1980s and 1990s chosen by Nara.
Those earlier pieces offer a point of comparison for recent paintings, including “Hairstyle 1,” “Afterwords” and the pair “Stillness Heights,” all from 2026. The show also includes three portraits from the “Midnight Tears” series (2023), each more than six feet tall. Hypebeast reports that Nara told The New York Times a recent glaucoma diagnosis informed his exploration of translucent acrylic over colored pencil, muted color and broader brushwork. The report describes the result as giving the portraits a luminous, atmospheric quality.
The exhibition’s sculpture presentation occupies the 19th Street gallery. It features 13 large snow-monster heads made in bronze and coated in matte white paint. The forms were sculpted by hand in 2024 and later enlarged tenfold, according to Hypebeast. Nara drew inspiration for the works from heavy snowfall during childhood winters near Mount Hakkōda.
Nara’s Figures Meet Monumental Sculpture
The exhibition puts two sides of Nara’s practice in one visit: the paintings and drawings associated with his large-headed figures, and a room of enlarged, tactile sculptures. The pairing gives visitors a chance to see how ideas recurring across his work—vulnerability, defiance and childhood—take shape through different materials and scales.
His young-looking subjects are not presented as simply sweet or innocent. Hypebeast describes them as challenging conventional ideas about girlhood and strength, with anti-war themes and punk influences central to the work. That distinction matters when reading images that might otherwise be mistaken for uncomplicated portraits of children.
The exhibition also arrives as Nara’s work is appearing in other public and commercial settings. Hypebeast reports that three sculptures from the same series are at the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., while a 2011 painting is scheduled for a November 19 auction. Those developments point to activity around the artist’s work beyond the New York galleries, though they do not establish how the exhibition will affect the art market.
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A New Gallery Chapter for Nara
The David Zwirner exhibition marks Nara’s first major show with the gallery after he joined it and parted ways with Pace the previous year, according to Hypebeast. Its two locations let the presentation divide paintings and drawings from the large sculptures while keeping both parts within the same neighborhood.
The exhibition is not described as a retrospective. Instead, it places recent work beside selected earlier pieces to show points of continuity and change. Hypebeast notes that a retrospective is planned at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2027. The current presentation therefore offers a focused view of Nara’s work rather than a full career survey.
““When you look at his art, you see and feel him.””
— Stella McCartney, as quoted by Hypebeast
Attendance and Visitor Details
Hypebeast reports that a long line formed on opening night, but the source gives no attendance figures or visitor totals. It also does not specify admission arrangements, opening hours or whether timed entry is required, so visitors should check David Zwirner’s current information before going. The report describes the works and their placement but does not provide a full exhibition checklist or details about whether every piece is available for purchase.
The article also relays Nara’s glaucoma diagnosis through The New York Times but does not provide further medical details. The artist’s condition, its course and any effect on future work beyond the technique described in the report remain unspecified.
Exhibition Runs Through December
The exhibition is scheduled to remain on view at David Zwirner’s 19th and 20th Street galleries through December 12, 2026. The source does not announce further programming or changes to the display. Separately, Hypebeast says “In the Milky Lake / Thinking One” (2011) is due to be offered by Fair Warning on November 19, with an estimate of $10 million to $15 million; that estimate is not a sale result.
A larger career survey is planned at SFMOMA in 2027, according to Hypebeast. Further details about that presentation are not included in the source report.
Key Questions
Where is Yoshitomo Nara’s New York exhibition?
It is spread across David Zwirner’s 19th and 20th Street galleries in New York. Paintings and drawings are at the 20th Street location; the snow-monster sculptures are at 19th Street.
How long is the exhibition on view?
The exhibition is scheduled to run through December 12, 2026.
What works are included?
The presentation includes recent paintings and drawings, selected works from the 1980s and 1990s, and 13 monumental bronze sculptures coated in matte white paint. Named works include “Matryoshka” (2026) and “War Birth” (2026).
Is this a full Yoshitomo Nara retrospective?
No. Hypebeast describes it as a focused exhibition rather than a retrospective. The report says a retrospective at SFMOMA is planned for 2027.
Source: hypebeast.com
