Christie’s will offer Yoshitomo Nara’s painting "Haze Days" (1998) at its 20th/21st century evening sale in London on October 15, with an estimate of £6.5 million–£8.5 million ($8.7 million–$11.4 million). The large-scale work comes to auction shortly after Nara’s retrospective at London’s Hayward Gallery, his first UK institutional solo show. The painting was previously consigned to Sotheby’s in 2023 with an $18 million estimate but was withdrawn before sale.
This sale matters because it tests the current market for Nara’s work after a period of adjustment from pandemic-era buying frenzies. The painting’s auction history—withdrawn from a 2023 sale at a much higher estimate—makes it a bellwether for market sentiment. The announcement follows a strong Hong Kong sale of another Nara work for $10.27 million, indicating continued global demand for his paintings even as expectations recalibrate.