Kumi Sugaï Variations Portfolio of Five Lithographs

Kumi Sugaï — Variations, Portfolio of 5 Lithographs (1995) — Signed & Numbered, Near Mint

A rare opportunity to acquire a complete portfolio of five lithographs by celebrated Japanese artist Kumi Sugaï (1919–1996) — one of the leading postwar artists who masterfully bridged Eastern philosophy with Western abstraction.

Titled Variations (1995), this limited edition set of five original lithographs is printed on BFK Rives paper, each measuring approximately 65 x 50 cm (25.6 x 19.7 in). The works are in near mint condition, brilliantly preserved with full color intensity and crisp line work.

• Edition 76/125, each lithograph hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist
• Printed by the prestigious Clot, Bramsen & Georges, Paris — renowned for their collaborations with Miró, Picasso, and other modern masters
• Published by Georges Fall, an influential figure in 20th-century European art publishiing

Kumi Sugaï was born in Kobe, Japan, and moved to Paris in 1952, where he became part of the avant-garde scene. Drawing on calligraphic traditions, Zen minimalism, and the dynamism of modern life, his work evolved from gestural abstraction into a bold, graphic visual language by the 1960s. Sugaï was deeply influenced by his fascination with symbols, signs, and urban energy, which resulted in a distinct visual style that resonates in both Eastern and Western contexts.

He exhibited widely, including at the Venice Biennale (1956) and the São Paulo Biennial, and his works are included in major international collections, such as the Centre Pompidou (Paris), MoMA (New York), and The National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo).

This Variations portfolio reflects the artist’s late-career mastery — rhythm, precision, and elegance in perfect balance. A striking acquisition for collectors of Japanese modernism, postwar abstraction, and fine print portfolios.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.

The portfolio will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden crate. Cost of transport to the US, Euro 225, is wooden crate included.

We ship worldwide. Request a shipping quote by e-mail to tacojoustra@vintageobjects.com mentioning the piece you are interested in.

Pick-up by appointment only.

We are a 1stDibs Platinum 5 Star Dealer.

Kumi Sugai was a Japanese painter. Best known for his Minimalist and Hard Edge geometric abstractions, Sugai was influenced by the relationships between Japanese calligraphy and Western typography. His paintings often featured a singular, centrally placed shape and a highly graphic aesthetic. Born in Kobe, Japan on March 13, 1919, he developed an interest in art at a young age, initially enrolling at the Osaka School of Fine Arts in 1933 and later dropping out to work in commercial advertising during the Second World War. By 1952, Sugai settled in Paris, where he studied at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere and absorbed contemporary Western painting styles, including Abstract Expressionism and, later, Minimalism and Pop Art. At first, Sugai adopted traditional ukiyo-e woodblock techniques, using bright colors to create prints infused with avant-garde art influences. In the 1960s, however, he transitioned into painting and printing more geometric images of letters and directional signs. Before his death on May 14, 1996 in Kobe, Japan, Sugai achieved international success, participating in the Pittsburgh International five times between 1955 and 1970, and holding a major retrospective of his work at the Seibu Museum of Art in Tokyo in 1983.