Marked: Cherokee / 1980 (verso)

Here Saito is experimenting with bare canvas surrounded by a color field of a deep rich rust hue.

With ties to the Color Field tradition, Saito’s color landscapes are a richly infused exhibition of dragged and poured paint, often with bold flecks of color, and animated calligraphic lines. Influenced by his work in theatre, many of his compositions are directly related to the orchestration of wordless dramas set within artistic frameworks of light, costume, music and dance. With that said, we feel as if his canvases are choreographed, using abstract expressionistic tendencies along with the technique of stained painting to achieve a sense of space.

Japanese born and trained Kikuo Saito (1939–2016) moved to New York in 1966 where he worked as a carpenter while acting as studio assistant to Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, and Larry Poons. Saito had long association with La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York creating costumes, set design, and directing. His productions drew inspiration from traditional and avant-garde Japanese theatre.

We feel his work will have a strong market going forward and enthusiastic engagement. Beginning in the 1950’s and perhaps earlier than even that, there has been an intriguing community of Japanese - American artists. They bring an aesthetic to their work which continues to be a well married joining of their culture to ours and which is always marked with an elegance and timelessness.

Saito's paintings and are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Aldrich Contemporary Museums, and numerous private and corporate collections. KinoSaito, a non-profit museum and art space in Verplanck, New York, opened in 2020, in honor of Saito's interdisciplinary practice and spirit.