Yoshitomo NaraBeh!, 2003 Limited edition print by Yoshitomo Nara, signed and numbered2003
2003
About the Item
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
Beh!, 2003
Medium: Lithograph on paper (8 plates, 10 colors)
Image: 49.8 × 40.0 cm (19 5/8 × 15 3/4 in)
Sheet: 66.0 × 50.5 cm (26 × 19 7/8 in)
Edition: A.P. 4/11, from an edition of 72 plus 11 artist’s proofs
Signature/Numbering: Signed and dated lower right; numbered lower left “A.P. 4/11.â€
Printer/Publisher: KIDO Press, Inc., Tokyo
Provenance
Gallery Tagboat, Tokyo, Japan
Acquired from the above by the previous owner
Poly Auction, Hong Kong
Acquired from the above
Literature
BSS No. E-2003-001
Catalogue raisonné No. YNF3961
Description
Beh! encapsulates Yoshitomo Nara’s blend of innocence, humor, and rebellion. The image portrays a small, round-headed child standing on a patch of grass, eyes clenched and mouth open in a loud cry, accompanied by the Japanese onomatopoeia “ã¹ãƒ¼â€ (“beh!â€)—a teasing, tongue-out expression of defiance familiar from playground antics. The figure’s exaggerated gesture is both comic and poignant, suggesting a child’s fragile assertion of self in a world of unseen pressures.
The lithograph’s crisp outlines and pastel tonalities lend the composition an immediate, hand-drawn intimacy. Nara’s use of muted colors against a bare background emphasizes the emotional clarity of the moment, transforming a fleeting act of mischief into a quiet statement of individuality. Beneath the apparent simplicity lies a tension between vulnerability and independence—a hallmark of Nara’s art, where childhood becomes a metaphor for resistance and sincerity. Beh! is both lighthearted and psychologically charged, capturing the essence of Nara’s universe: a space where whimsy and introspection coexist.
- Creator:Yoshitomo Nara (1959, Japanese)
- Creation Year:2003
- Dimensions:Height: 25.99 in (66 cm)Width: 19.89 in (50.5 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:In excellent condition, with no evident damages or signs of aging. The slightest undulation consistent with the hinging method used. Framed, with its original frame.
- Gallery Location:Hong Kong, HK
- Reference Number:Seller: YON-0131stDibs: LU1545217294842
Yoshitomo Nara
Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most influential artists to emerge from Japan's Pop art movement in the 1990s. Drawing inspiration from the anime and manga characters that he was exposed to during his childhood, Nara creates characters, usually small children, who possess similar cartoonish qualities, with highly stylized features and especially large eyes. However, Nara's illustrations of children, who are often brandishing weapons, are often more menacing and devilish than they are cute and innocent.
Nara has assembled a cult-like following centered around his childlike illustrations although the themes surrounding his work touch on broader social and cultural topics such as violence and the rigidity of social structures in Japan. While he works mainly in painting and drawing, he also experiments in sculpture and installations.
Since his first solo exhibition at Blum and Poe Gallery in 1984, Nara has had nearly 40 solo exhibitions worldwide, from Iceland to Japan to France to the United States.
Find authentic Yoshitomo Nara prints and other art on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Chel Lap Kok, Hong Kong
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllEarly 2000s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Lithograph
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Screen
2010s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Offset
2010s Contemporary Figurative Prints
Offset
2010s Tribal Figurative Prints
Lithograph, Offset
2010s Prints and Multiples
Woodcut
You May Also Like
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Prints
Lithograph
2010s Figurative Prints
Paper
2010s Figurative Prints
Paper
2010s Contemporary Portrait Prints
Offset
2010s Contemporary Portrait Prints
Offset
2010s Prints and Multiples
Offset
Read More
Punk Rock and Rebellion Animate London’s Hit Yoshitomo Nara Show
The exhibition includes his portraits of wide-eyed kids with mayhem on their minds, as well as some of the artist’s personal belongings.
Yoshitomo Nara Puts a Punk Rock Twist on the Traditional Prints of His Ancestors
The forever-rebellious Japanese artist craftily defaces famous Edo Period woodblock prints with “In the Floating World.”












