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IKKO TANAKA (1930-2002)
292
●
NIHON BUYO / UCLA ASIAN PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE. 1981.
40
1
/
2
x28
1
/
2
inches, 103x72
1
/
2
cm. Toppan Printing Co., Ltd., Tokyo.
Condition A-: minor restoration and creases at edges and in image; minor abrasions at edges; ink stamp at
bottom. Paper.
With a traditional artistic background in textile design, Tanaka ultimately switched to graphic design.
From book to logo design, interior decoration, typography and exhibition design, he practiced every
aspect of the field with a refined style. For years, he also worked for the Seibu group, for whom he
supervised their global image. A lover of traditional Japan, his posters celebrated the arts and crafts of
his native country in a superb, modern way. For the Nihon Buyo (Japanese dance) performance at
UCLA, Tanaka depicts a dancer’s face, as if composed of origami. This is the first time he used this
emblematic form, and he went on to employ it frequently in different variations for other posters he
designed for cultural events and exhibitions.
[700/1,000]