Yoshitoshi Mori Figural Stencil Print of Couple Kissing, 1983

Item Details

Yoshitoshi Mori (Japanese, 1898 – 1992)
Couple kissing, 1983
Stencil print on paper
Signed/stamped to lower right
Numbered 23/50

Yoshitoshi Mori (1898 – 1992) was a prominent 20th-century Japanese artist celebrated for his dynamic kappazuri (stencil) prints. Originally trained at the Kawabata School of Fine Arts, Mori spent decades in the textile arts as a key member of the mingei (folk craft) movement, collaborating closely with founder Yanagi Sōetsu and master dyer Serizawa Keisuke. In the 1950s, he transitioned to creating stencil prints on paper, emerging as a pivotal figure in the sōsaku-hanga (creative print) movement. This shift led to a public rift with Yanagi in 1962, after which Mori focused exclusively on printmaking.

His highly energetic, colorful works primarily depict Kabuki theater, folk traditions, and festivals. Characterized by earthy tones and simplified, contorted figures locked in dynamic motion, Mori’s avant-garde style heavily influenced major contemporary printmakers like Shikō Munakata and Hiromitsu Takahashi. Over his career, he participated in dozens of international exhibitions, received an honorary doctorate from Maryland University, and was formally honored by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Mori died in 1992, immediately following his final solo exhibition at Tokyo’s Wako Gallery.

Condition

- minor accretions to sheets; minimal frame wear.

Dimensions

- measures frame.

• Item not examined outside of mounting.

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Item #

ITMGT42378