Kikuo Saito’s Cherokee, painted in 1980, is a stunning expanse of vermillion punctuated by a burst of color. Rivulets of green, pink, crimson, blue and brown stream outwards from the white starburst of exposed canvas at the center of the work. Furrows of impasto lend the canvas a textural interest, while the abstraction of the work calls to mind stained glass formations, or the view through a kaleidoscope. The overall impression of the work is immediately striking; as Martina Batovic has said, “Saito’s work presents the best of gestural and lyrical abstraction.”ⁱ

A Japanese-born American artist, Saito arrived in the US in 1966 at the age of 27, bringing with him a solid grasp of both modern Western and traditional Japanese art. In doing so, Saito established a unique space for himself within the already-established Color Field tradition by constructing his own painterly lexicon – further informed by his relationships with artists Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland and Larry Poons, who he all formerly assisted.

Kenneth Noland, Burnt Day, 1962, Private Collection. Image: © Christie's Images / Bridgeman Images, Artwork: © The Paige Rense Noland Marital Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

While he would come to be remembered primarily for his abstract paintings, much of the artist’s life was devoted to experimental theater. In the 60s, he would design sets and organize performances at the celebrated La Mama Experimental Theatre Club on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, blending aspects of the Japanese avant-garde with his own pared-down aesthetic. While the meaning behind the title Cherokee is unclear, one could speculate that it may have been the title of one of these performances.

In 1976, Saito was the subject of his first solo exhibition at Deitcher O’Reilley Gallery on 67^th Street; subsequently in 1979, Saito decided to devote his attention entirely to painting – which ultimately led to a 17-year break from his theater practice. Painted at the beginning of his burgeoning critical success, Cherokee is a superb example of the abstract works that Saito produced during this critical 17-year juncture – which, although created in isolation of his theater pursuits, still bears a gestural and expressive sensibility which harkens back to his theatrical roots.

ⁱ Martina Batovic, quoted in “AbEx Pioneer Kikuo Saito Achieves a New Record in Artnet’s Post-War Abstraction Sale,” Artnet Auctions, March 25, 2024, online.
- Condition Report
  Request Condition Report
  Thank you
  for your request.
  
  The Condition Report
  will be sent shortly.
  Contact Us
  * Required
  Send me the Report Via
  EmailFax
- Description
  View our Conditions of Sale.
- Provenance
  Suzanne Mathews, San Antonio
  Private Collection (acquired from the above in 2005)
  Thence by descent to the present owner