Realized with the guidance of UNIQLO. Residents of the Louvre drawn with the lines of Osamu Nagaba. | feature

I would be happy if the collaboration will bring back thoughts of the Louvre.

Q: Do you have a favorite or memorable piece of work you worked on this time?

Longer Lengths:Many of the motifs in my works are drawn, and I enjoyed creating them while thinking about how I could omit the lines. That is why I like them all so much.

Longer Lengths:What was particularly interesting were the buildings. This was difficult. There are a lot of uneven surfaces, and they don't seem to have any characteristics, so I had a hard time finding a way to express them.

Do you redraw the pictures over and over again?

Longer Lengths:Yes, it is. Even when drawing the windows of a building, how square should they be, how many should be drawn, and so on. I think about how I can express the character of the building while working with my hands, and through trial and error, I draw until I am satisfied with my work. I continue to draw until I am satisfied with my work.

How long do you draw?

Longer Lengths:I try to draw it once ba-ba-ba-ba and then put it to sleep. If I concentrate too much on it, I lose objectivity, so I let it sleep and then look at it again the next day, making corrections. If I am still not satisfied, I let it sit for two days, and on the third day, I verify how it looks. That kind of time is important.

It seems to me that it would be difficult to determine when it is time to stop or when it is finished.

Longer Lengths:That's right (laughs). (Laughs.) So, I made up my mind that this was it. When I said to myself, "There is no way I can draw any more.

UT Louvre Museum × Osao Nagaba Mamezala ¥590 each Left: Inspired by Mona Lisa - Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo / Leonardo DA VINCI / 1503-1519
© Musée du Louvre
©2022 Yu Nagaba

Right: Inspired by: Mona Lisa / Leonardo DA VINCI
Aphrodite, known as the "Vénus de Milo"
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
The Astronomer / Johannes VERMEER
The Great Sphinx of Tanis
©2022 Yu Nagaba

UT Louvre Museum × Osao Nagaba buckwheat chocolate ¥590 each Left: Inspired by: Mona Lisa / Leonardo DA VINCI
Aphrodite, known as the "Vénus de Milo"
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
La Grande Odalisque / Jean-Auguste-Dominique INGRES
La Belle Jardinière / Raffaello SANTI, known as Raphael
The Astronomer / Johannes VERMEER
The Great Sphinx of Tanis
Louvre Pyramid © I.M. Pei
©2022 Yu Nagaba

Right: Inspired by Mona Lisa - Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo / Leonardo DA VINCI / 1503-1519
© Musée du Louvre
Louvre Pyramid © I.M. Pei
©2022 Yu Nagaba

You also made Hasami-ware Mamezara and Buckwheat Chocolate this time. Have you ever made pottery before?

Longer Lengths:I made Mamezara when I collaborated with Snoopy at UT last time. This kind of thing makes me very happy. I couldn't have created it if I had only thought of it myself. It leads to a new discovery that this kind of expression is possible.

Mamezara is not only for use at the table, but also for decoration.

Longer Lengths:I would be happy if you could use it in a variety of ways. The mamezara I made before is a favorite at home and I use it for meals. It was a new experience for me to have my own painting on the dining table (laughs).

Do you have anything you want to tell the customers through this collaboration, such as what you want them to feel or how you want them to enjoy the event?

Longer Lengths:I have been exposed to art since I was a child, and I think it has been a good experience for me. I hope that my painting of the famous motifs in this exhibition will make people think about the Louvre and delve deeper into the artworks, and that they will want to visit the site when the situation in the world improves.

Lastly, what are your goals for the future?

Longer Lengths:First of all, I would like to challenge NFT (laugh), and also I would like to exhibit more overseas. I would like to have many people see my work and learn about it.

It seems that more and more people around the world have seen Nagaba's work as a result of the collaboration with 〈UT〉.

Longer Lengths:That may be so. So, with the help of [UNIQLO], I would be happy if we could follow up with private exhibitions in various locations (laughs).