At Chelsea's Fair Warning, NYC Shows Yoshitomo Nara's Largest Painting Ever Offered at Auction

Fair Warning, the auction house at 534 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, is putting Yoshitomo Nara's 2011 painting "In the Milky Lake / Thinking One" on public view ahead of its sale. At 102 by 71 inches, it is the largest Nara work ever to come to auction.

An opening reception takes place on Nov. 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. The public view runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 19. The painting is sold in New York on Nov. 19, the final day of the showing, with an estimate of about $15 million.

Fair Warning was founded by Loïc Gouzer, formerly Chairman of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie's. The house sells one lot at a time. Bidding happens live in its app: members request a paddle, join the sale, and the highest bid wins. The community is members-only.

Nara is among the best-known living Japanese artists, recognized worldwide for his paintings of wide-eyed children. Seeing a canvas of this scale in person, in the heart of Chelsea's gallery district, is a rare opportunity for anyone in the city interested in Japanese contemporary art. The evening reception is easy to reach after work, and the short two-week window closes on auction day.