Knife Behind Back by Yoshitomo Nara

Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for HK$196 million.

The acrylic on canvas Knife Behind Back by Yoshitomo Nara is all the more marked and menacing for the absence of the aforementioned knife – a testament to Nara’s enduring oeuvre. The work set a new world auction record for Nara at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art sale in early October, which saw a 10-minute bidding battle between six collectors.