Kazumasa Nagai

28 ½ x 40 in. (72 x 102 cm)

Offset

Condition: There is a small (approx. half inch) nick at the upper left edge of the poster and a small dog ear at the bottom right corner. There is a bit of adhesive residue on the colored stripes. Otherwise excellent condition.

In 1981, the Asian Performing Arts Summer Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, hosted a program of study and performances intended to introduce Americans to Japanese classical performance art. In conjunction with this program, the Institute produced a set of twelve commemorative posters, each by a leading Japanese graphic designer. This poster by Kazumasa Nagai (1929 - ) honors nagauta, the music used to accompany kabuki theater and played on a traditional string instrument called a shamisen. The shamisen is represented here by flowers winding around three lines, or strings.

The poster is hand-signed by the designer.