Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an ink print by Kumi Sugaï. It dates from 1973 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1973, this untitled work belongs to a larger portfolio of thirty‑one prints that combine lithography, screenprinting, etching, aquatint, and woodcut techniques. The piece is executed in black and white with bold geometric forms, accented by a thin red stripe on the left, overlapping white circles, a thick black bar, and a blue zigzag border framing the top and bottom.
Subject & Meaning
The composition relies on simple, hard‑edge shapes that suggest an abstracted urban environment, reflecting the artist’s interest in the visual language of modern city life. The stark contrast of monochrome elements with limited color highlights a balance between order and dynamism.
Technique & Style
The print exemplifies a mixed‑media approach: screenprinting provides the flat color fields, while the precise lines and edges are achieved through lithographic and etching processes. The work’s clean geometry and limited palette are characteristic of the hard‑edge abstraction the artist adopted in the early 1960s.
History & Provenance
Japanese painter and printmaker Kumi Sugaï, who settled in Paris in 1952 and joined the Nouvelle École de Paris, produced this piece as part of his extensive print series. The portfolio, encompassing various printmaking methods, is now part of the Museum of Modern Art’s collection.
Context
Sugaï’s shift toward hard‑edge abstraction coincided with a broader post‑war movement in Paris that embraced modernist aesthetics and urban themes. His integration of multiple print techniques mirrors the experimental spirit of the Nouvelle École, which sought new visual vocabularies beyond traditional painting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Kumi Sugai (菅井 汲, Sugai Kumi; March 13, 1919 – May 14, 1996) was a Japanese painter and printmaker.
