Roy Kiyooka
(Canadian, 1926–1994)
Ottoman
1971
Screenprint on paper
Edition 4 of 50
Signed, dated, titled, and numbered in pencil on the lower margin
Sight: 30 × 24.5 in. (76.2 × 62.2 cm)
Framed: 38.75 × 33 in. (98.4 × 83.8 cm)
Executed in 1971, Ottoman is an iconic hard-edge screenprint from Roy Kiyooka's celebrated Ottoman / Court Suite. In this striking composition, a column of stacked cylindrical forms rests against a warm cream background, rendered in subtle, sophisticated tones of slate blue, light grey, soft purple, burnt orange, and deep forest green. The title engages a characteristic double meaning, referencing both the soft, rounded geometry of upholstered ottoman cushions and historic architectural structures.
Numbered 4 from a limited edition of 50, this print was produced for Kiyooka's landmark May 1971 exhibition at the Bau Xi Gallery in Vancouver. By applying the principles of hard-edge color theory to screenprinting, Kiyooka achieved pristine, flat planes of color that create an optical rhythm as the forms stack vertically.
Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Roy Kiyooka was a pioneering Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Canadian) artist, poet, and educator. As a major contributor to West Coast modernism and hard-edge abstraction, he influenced generations of Canadian artists through his teaching positions at the Regina College of Art, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), and the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Major Accolades & Recognition:
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C., 1978)
Member, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A., elected 1965)
Represented Canada at the 8th São Paulo Biennial (1965)
Created major sculpture commission for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka
Subject of a major 25-year retrospective organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery (1975)
Selected Permanent Collections:
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MACM (Montreal, QC)
Simon Fraser University Art Collection (Burnaby, BC)
MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
Roy Kiyooka
(Canadian, 1926–1994)
Ottoman
1971
Screenprint on paper
Edition 4 of 50
Signed, dated, titled, and numbered in pencil on the lower margin
Sight: 30 × 24.5 in. (76.2 × 62.2 cm)
Framed: 38.75 × 33 in. (98.4 × 83.8 cm)
Executed in 1971, Ottoman is an iconic hard-edge screenprint from Roy Kiyooka's celebrated Ottoman / Court Suite. In this striking composition, a column of stacked cylindrical forms rests against a warm cream background, rendered in subtle, sophisticated tones of slate blue, light grey, soft purple, burnt orange, and deep forest green. The title engages a characteristic double meaning, referencing both the soft, rounded geometry of upholstered ottoman cushions and historic architectural structures.
Numbered 4 from a limited edition of 50, this print was produced for Kiyooka's landmark May 1971 exhibition at the Bau Xi Gallery in Vancouver. By applying the principles of hard-edge color theory to screenprinting, Kiyooka achieved pristine, flat planes of color that create an optical rhythm as the forms stack vertically.
Born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Roy Kiyooka was a pioneering Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Canadian) artist, poet, and educator. As a major contributor to West Coast modernism and hard-edge abstraction, he influenced generations of Canadian artists through his teaching positions at the Regina College of Art, the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), and the University of British Columbia (UBC).
Major Accolades & Recognition:
Appointed Officer of the Order of Canada (O.C., 1978)
Member, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (R.C.A., elected 1965)
Represented Canada at the 8th São Paulo Biennial (1965)
Created major sculpture commission for the Canadian Pavilion at Expo '70 in Osaka
Subject of a major 25-year retrospective organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery (1975)
Selected Permanent Collections:
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MACM (Montreal, QC)
Simon Fraser University Art Collection (Burnaby, BC)
MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina, SK)
