Ay-O - 怒(赤色バック) - (Anger (Red Background))

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Silkscreen Print

Ay-O’s iconic cat series returns in this 2001 print, where a snarling feline head bursts from a vivid red field in layered rainbow hues. Building on the popularity of his 1978 works “ねこ” (Cat), “あくび” (Yawn) and “叫び” (Scream), he revisited the motif in a suite of 2001 prints - this one (Raisonné No. 913) stands out for its fierce expression and saturated colour, making it a highly sought-after piece in his catalogue. 😾🌈

• Year & Edition: 2001 · Ed. of 100 (45/100) (editioned, signed & dated in pencil to plate).
• Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper, printed by Tokuzo Okabe.
• Dimensions: Sheet H 36.00 cm × W 30.90 cm; Image H 23.00 cm × W 21.20 cm.
• Condition: Beautiful; image face unmarked with vibrant, saturated colour; paper clean, crisp & intact.
• Notes: Part of Ay-O’s 2001 cat series (#909–914), this “Anger” print (#913) is listed in Rainbow Rainbow Rainbow: Ay-O’s Rainbow Prints Catalogue Raisonné 2000–2011 (epjp/ePublishing, 2012).

About the Artist

Ay-O (born 1931) is a seminal figure in postwar Japanese avant-garde art, celebrated for his immersive “Rainbow” series of vibrant paintings, silkscreens and installations. Early influences included the Demokrato Artist Association and the Society for Creative Art Education, which fostered his experimental spirit. In the 1960s he joined George Maciunas’s Fluxus movement, collaborating with Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik and Claes Oldenburg on boundary-pushing performances. Ay-O’s playful, multi-sensory use of gradated colour has earned him international acclaim, with major exhibitions at the National Museum of Asian Art (Washington, D.C.) and Kunsthal Aarhus, and works held in the British Museum, MoMA (New York) and the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. [ ← View All Works by Ay-O]