*Please note the price is fixed for this item. It is not included in any of our periodic sales (e.g. Black Friday)!*
This is an original Japanese silk screen poster printed in the 1997. This poster is ultra rare and is displayed in the world`s most prestigious galleries such as MoMA in New York City. It is very difficult / almost impossible to find in any condition. This print is in mint condition.
MOMA - https://www.moma.org/collection/works/5966
M + Gallery Hong Kong - https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/collection/objects/beams-2016166/
Tadanori Yokoo designed this striking poster for BEAMS, the Tokyo-based lifestyle and clothing store founded in Harajuku in 1976. True to his signature style, Yokoo integrates hand-painted portraits of BEAMS' founder, Shitara Etsuzo (upper-right), and current CEO, Shitara Yo (lower-left), reflecting his practice of incorporating corporate leadership into promotional art.
At the center, the brand’s name, "BEAMS," hovers above its logo—an image of Earth encircled by a planetary ring. Elements from Western art history, including an angel, Cupid, and sailors navigating stormy seas, appear to be drawn toward the logo, symbolizing the brand’s gravitational pull. Radiant beams of yellow, blue, purple, and pink emanate from the clouds, the Earth, and Shitara Yo, alluding both to the brand’s name and the iconic Japanese rising sun symbol.
A recurring motif in Yokoo’s work, the rising sun carries deep cultural and historical significance, having been associated with Japan’s imperial and military past. By placing it within a surreal, layered composition, Yokoo offers a visually compelling commentary on national identity, history, and contemporary consumer culture.
Japan Poster Shop has acquired a substantial and unique collection of original Tadanori Yokoo posters from one of the most prolific collectors in Japan. This individual has a very colorful life story, having invested and dedicated many decades to his love for Tadanori Yokoo`s vibrant designs.
In today's world, when advanced reproduction techniques and printing methods have been developed, silkscreen printing can be said to be an extremely primitive and imperfect printing method. However, it is precisely because of this primitive imperfection that silkscreen printing has been highly developed.
It is a medium that retains a handcrafted, intimate feel like woodblock prints or lithographs, not found in offset or primary color printing, which are more common printing methods. Such handcrafted printing methods are themselves subcultural, and are therefore suitable as a means of printing posters for subcultural groups, in the sense that the medium is the message.
Please refer to the imagery (both front and back) as this is the exact poster that is for sale.
We have provided additional imagery (and a video) as the condition is phenomenal!!
It is over 28 years old!
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.