Kumi Sugai - ヴァリエーション 3 (Variations 3)

A fabulous print by Kumi Sugai: ヴァリエーション 3 (Variations 3) - a striking composition of a collection of Sugai's multicoloured “S” forms set against a deep black-green background. Each variant twists in patterns of candy-stripe red & vivid blues. A superb example of Sugai’s experimentation with variations of his developed "S" iconography. 🌀🛣️🎨

• Year & Edition: Undated · Ed. 33/125 (signed & editioned in pencil “Sugai”).
  
• Medium: Lithograph on B.F.K Rives paper. Printed at Atelier Clot, Bramsen & Georges, Paris; published by Georges Fall, Paris.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 50.00 cm × H: 65.00 cm.
  
• Condition: Mint.
  
• Notes: Sugai’s celebrated “Variations” series, where Sugai's “S” form is endlessly reimagined. Raisonné No: #396. (Reference: Katsuo Hara (Art Dune) | Sugaï. Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre gravé 1955-96 | 1996).

About the Artist

Kumi Sugai (1919-1996) crafted a bold, graphic print language fusing Japanese calligraphy, Western letterforms, and modern geometric abstraction. A former Hankyu Railway designer, in the 1960's, alongside his paintings, he developed his printmaking - hard-edge compositions evoking road culture and traffic codes: arrows, chevrons, numerals, and directional symbols - motifs iconic to his work from the mid-1960's onward. He won the Grand Prix at the 1966 Kraków International Print Biennial and was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1971; his works are held by the National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo & Kyoto), the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum, and the Guggenheim. [ ← View All Works by Kumi Sugai]