Artwork
Hayashi
Hayashi is a poster by Mitsuo Katsui. It dates from 1981 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Twelve artists designed them to promote a five-week festival of traditional Japanese theatre and music across the U.
This 1981 poster by Mitsuo Katsui is part of a set made for UCLA’s Asian Performing Arts Institute. Twelve artists designed them to promote a five-week festival of traditional Japanese theatre and music across the U.S.
The series honored five classic forms, backed by a group of musicians called a hayashi. They normally perform live but here they helped celebrate Japanese arts far from home.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see this and more.
Overview
This 1981 poster by Mitsuo Katsui is part of a series of twelve designs created for the UCLA Asian Performing Arts Institute.
Subject & Meaning
The poster promotes a festival of traditional Japanese theatre and music, featuring a hayashi, a group of musicians that accompanies Noh or kabuki performances.
History & Provenance
The poster was created for a series of lectures, masterclasses, and performances by the Classical Performing Arts Friendship Mission of Japan, which toured the University of California, Los Angeles, and other US venues.
Context
A hayashi typically performs live, either on or off stage, depending on the type of traditional Japanese theatre being presented.
Artist & collection
Artist
Mitsuo Katsui made bold, minimalist posters in the 1970s–80s. *Hayashi* (1981) uses flat reds and blacks to frame a single figure, a style that feels like Japanese graphic design meets Bauhaus. The work’s clean lines…
![TiT [This is Tomorrow], by Richard Hamilton](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/richard-hamilton--tit-this-is-tomorrow--87ce6150b42452c8-w320.webp)
