Despite warnings from artist, fakes go under the hammer at online auction
Despite warnings from the artist about the works being fake, two pictures resembling drawings by artist Yoshitomo Nara were sold for a total of about 700,000 yen on an online auction site last week.
The two pieces, each depicting a girl with a piercing look that is characteristic of Nara’s work, were both tagged Watercolor, Yoshitomo Nara, Large, Masterpiece, and put up for auction on October 23 on Yahoo! Japan’s Internet auction site.
The seller noted that the items came from his deceased grandfather’s house. “Since I am not a professional, I do not know their authenticity and value.”
Nara said that he requested the seller via the auction site to add a note to the lot description stating that the artist himself has advised that the works were not his. Nara said his request did not receive a response. The seller said because the request could not be confirmed as coming from the artist, a note was added to the effect that the works were not verified to be Yoshitomo Nara’s because they had not been appraised.
One of the drawings sold for about 460,000 yen and the other for about 210,000 yen. The amounts are about one-fifth to one-tenth of what similar works by Nara command.
One of the drawings sold for about 460,000 yen and the other for about 210,000 yen. The amounts are about one-fifth to one-tenth of what similar works by Nara command.