Yasumasa Morimura: Market Profile and Auction History

Yasumasa Morimura, born in 1951 in Osaka, is a leading figure in Japanese contemporary art known for postmodern appropriations and self-portraiture where he impersonates historical and artistic figures like Charlie Chaplin as Hitler, Leonardo da Vinci, Frida Kahlo, or Cindy Sherman. His work blends pop and tragicomic elements, with photographs and videos that are inherently performative. Morimura has exhibited widely in the US (Whitney Museum, SFMOMA, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, MOCA Los Angeles) and Japan (Yokohama Museum of Art, National Museum Osaka). In Italy, he has shown at Studio Guenzani in Milan, and his works are in the Fondazione Fotografia di Modena collection. His exhibition "Ego Obscura" opened on October 12 at Japan Society in New York. Despite critical acclaim, his auction record is modest: the highest sale was "Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo" (photograph) for €42,917 at Phillips New York in 2006 (estimate €11,000–15,000). Other notable sales include "Portrait of Family, Wife" (€35,000 at Sotheby's, 2002) and "My Little Sister for Cindy Sherman" (€28,000 in the US, 2002). His last significant auction appearance was at Phillips in 2016.