Masse Noire
Lithograph, 1964
Edition of 200 (5/200)
Handsigned, dated and numbered in pencil
#104, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre grave 1955-96
* Made in 1964 for Dokumenta, Kassel.
* Artwork is sold unframed
56 x 76 cm
All Kumi Sugai works available here are carefully sourced vintage original editions. While they are generally in good condition, some may exhibit signs of aging, which will be noted in the description. If you have any questions or would like additional images before purchasing, please feel free to inquire.
If you would like to have your print framed, please inquire for options and pricing.
A Little Background on the piece
Masse Noire is a lithograph created by Kumi Sugaï in 1964 for the Kassel Biennale (Documenta III), printed in an edition of 200. One copy is held in the collection of the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art in Japan. The work measures approximately 56 × 76 cm.
The lithograph draws directly from an earlier oil painting of the same title, made in 1963. That canvas (circa 130 × 191 cm, signed “SUGAÏ 63”) was part of Sugaï’s textured early abstract work and was exhibited in Japan before later being sold at Christie’s in Paris.
In translating Masse Noire from oil to lithograph, Sugaï refined the composition and added colour as well as some more geometric forms. This piece shows the beginnings of Sugaï moving from the raw, tactile, organic surfaces of his earlier work toward the crisp geometry of his hard-edge abstraction later on. This transition also reflects a broader shift in his practice during the early 1960s, as he increasingly embraced printmaking and visual clarity and also slowly moved away from oil towards acrylic paint.
Sugaï’s participation in the 1964 Kassel Biennale marked a high point in his growing international recognition. He had previously shown at Documenta II (1959) and returned for Documenta III, further establishing his presence in the postwar European art scene.
