Tadanori Yokoo: Posters, Rising Suns and the Painter's Turn
Tadanori Yokoo, born in 1936 in Nishiwaki, Hyōgo, is one of the most influential Japanese artists of the post-war era. His posters of the 1960s, dense with rising suns, waves, steam trains, film stars and photographs, broke every rule of modernist design. They remain icons of Japanese graphic art, and Yokoo himself has spent the decades since reinventing his practice.
The poster years
Yokoo made his name designing for Tokyo's underground theatre, including the companies of Terayama Shūji and Kara Jūrō. His 1965 poster Having Reached a Climax at the Age of 29, I Was Dead, a mock self-obituary, announced a sensibility that mixed traditional Japanese imagery with pop collage and dark humour. His silkscreen posters circulated internationally and were exhibited in museums within a few years.
The painter's declaration
In 1980, after visiting a Picasso retrospective in New York, Yokoo announced that he would become a painter. He has painted ever since, in many series and styles, including long cycles of works on themes such as waterfalls, crossroads and his own earlier imagery. A museum devoted to his work opened in Kobe in 2012.
What collectors find
- Vintage posters: original silkscreen and offset theatre and exhibition posters of the 1960s and 1970s.
- Prints: silkscreens and other editions, signed and numbered.
- Paintings: unique works for advanced collectors.
- Books and record sleeves: Yokoo designed many covers, collected by enthusiasts.
What to check
- Posters: the printing method, size and paper, against known originals; later reprints exist.
- Condition: fold lines, pin holes, tears and fading are common on posters that were actually hung.
- Prints: hand signature and edition number.
Questions collectors ask
Are Yokoo's posters art or design?
Both. Museums collect them as art, and they were made to be used.
How should a vintage poster be stored?
Flat, in an acid-free folder, or framed with UV-filtering glazing. Avoid rolling tightly.