Yū Nagaba’s masterpieces brought to life through embroidery. In collaboration with the French embroidery studio VANGART, we have created a limited edition of 50 pieces available worldwide.

While shopping for everyday necessities is fine in its own way, why not make some purchases that will truly enrich your life?

Artist Yu Nagaba’s signature work, “The Last Supper,” has been reimagined as an embroidered piece, and 50 limited-edition copies will be available for purchase.

Based in Lyon, France, “VANGART” is a textile design studio dedicated to exploring embroidery as an art form. The studio has previously collaborated with renowned artists both in Japan and abroad to release numerous embroidery pieces, and this time, they’re teaming up with Yu Nagaba.

This work is based on the canvas piece *The Last Supper* (2020)), which was first presented at Mr. Nagaba’s solo exhibition of the same name in 2020. It is a signature work that uses the composition of a famous historical painting as its motif and is interspersed with homages to pop culture and music.

In this embroidery edition, Ms. Nagaba has transformed her signature light, airy lines from paint into “thread.” She renders the figures and tables with black embroidery thread, while the background retains the natural texture of high-quality white linen. From a distance, the work appears to be a simple two-dimensional piece, but upon closer inspection, it transforms into a work that conveys a three-dimensional presence through the unique luster, thickness, and shading of the thread.

Incidentally, it’s said that Ms. Nagaba and “VANGART” spent over a year discussing everything from the design, fabric, and embroidery thread selection to the fit. Machine embroidery is applied under the supervision of skilled embroidery artisans, and the delicate details are finished by hand—a process that takes a full day to complete each piece. These meticulously crafted works are delivered stretched over a wooden frame and framed, much like a canvas painting.

To reiterate, this piece is a special artwork featuring an edition number, with only 50 copies produced worldwide. It goes on sale today, October 30,"VANGART" Official WebsiteIn.

We hope you’ll enjoy the enriching experience of spending time with Ms. Nagaba’s embroidery pieces.

Finally, here are some comments from Mr. Nagaba regarding the production.

I’ve always been drawn to the expressive power of “lines.” When I thought about how to share this with a wider audience, I decided to try drawing motifs that everyone would instantly recognize. My first choice was historical masterpieces like the *Mona Lisa* and *The Last Supper*. I’ve layered elements of the culture that has influenced me over the years onto these works. Music, in particular, has been a constant source of inspiration for me since my teens. That sense of freedom—having listened to a wide range of music without being confined to any specific genre—is directly reflected in this work. What I find most fascinating about the medium of embroidery is how the “lines” I draw are transformed into “thread,” evolving into a visual form that is completely different from the original artwork.
In my day-to-day creative work, I deliberately avoid uniform, neat lines, instead valuing the irregularities, rough textures, and the unique character that can only be achieved through hand-drawn work. It is impossible to perfectly reproduce these subtle nuances through embroidery. However, in their place, the threads—with their unique luster and thickness—create a presence that hand-drawn lines simply cannot achieve. For this edition, I requested that embroidery be applied only to the figures and the table, while the background was intentionally left as the raw fabric. I believe this contrast further accentuates the sense of three-dimensionality and depth, lending the overall work a richer, more evocative presence. On the other hand, regarding the color palette, I requested that it remain as faithful as possible to the original painting. From a distance, it looks almost identical to the original, but as you get closer, you’re suddenly struck by the differences in texture and material. I believe that experience of discovery is the true joy unique to embroidered works. For me, thread is a special material that imbues the drawn lines with warmth and a tangible sense of reality, transforming something merely drawn on a flat surface into something that instinctively makes you want to reach out and touch it.