Ay-O - ねこ (Cat)

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Silkscreen Print

One of Ay-O’s earliest explorations of his now-legendary rainbow motif, this 1978 screenprint portrays Jiro, his beloved Russian Blue, in vibrant gradations that trace the cat’s contours against a rich, dark field. Printed on fine Fabriano paper in Tokyo and embossed with the “Gendai Hanga Center” seal, it captures Jiro’s poised calm and subtle personality. 🎨😺

• Year & Edition: 1978 · Ed. of 500 (410/500) (editioned & signed in pencil to plate).
• Medium: Silkscreen on Fabriano paper.
• Dimensions: Sheet H: 48.00 cm × W: 34.50 cm; Image H: 35.00 cm × W: 23.00 cm.
• Condition: Brilliant, clean & crisp image with luminescent rainbow colours.
• Notes: Embossed “Gendai Hanga Center, Tokyo Japan” seal lower left. This print (Raisonné No. 341-A) launched Ay-O’s celebrated Jiro series—followed by “あくび” (Yawn, No. 342) and “叫び” (Scream, No. 344)—and was issued in a larger run of 500 due to popular demand. (Reference: 虹 -靉嘔版画全作品集 1954-1979. 久保貞次郎編 | Ay-O’s Rainbow Prints Catalogue Raisonne 1954-1979. Compiled by Sadajiro Kubo | Published by: 叢文社 Sohbun-sha Publishing Company)).

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]