Five Ay-Ō Rainbow Works to Brighten Your Day

Experience the vibrant work of the “Rainbow Artist.”

Kit Brooks

December 14, 2023

Smaller cat.jpg — Yawn (Akubi あくび) 1978; Screenprint on paper; 38.3 × 55.7 cm (sheet); 17.5 × 34 cm (image); edition 73/100; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, The Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz Collection, S2021.5.18 © Ay-Ō

Beneath the easy appeal of Ay-Ō’s rainbow works lies a more complex dialogue between light and texture, or between the void and the manifold. Since his adoption of the rainbow in the mid-1960s, much of Ay-Ō’s output has been silkscreen prints that maintain his idiomatic aesthetic across a wide range of subjects. That breadth can be seen in over eighty of the artist’s prints in the National Museum of Asian Art’s (NMAA) collection, ranging from treatments of the human body and the animal kingdom to abstract compositions and extending to rainbow reinterpretations of other artists’ works. Here, we introduce five stunning works that will be sure to add warmth and color to your day.

1. Mount Fuji Eruption (Fugaku funka 富嶽噴火)

None — Mount Fuji Eruption (Fugaku funka 富嶽噴火) 1982; Woodblock print; 30.5 × 41.3 cm (sheet); 27.6 × 38.2 cm (image); Artist’s proof Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Purchase and partial gift of the Kenneth and Kiyo Hitch Collection from Kiyo Hitch with funds from the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment, S2019.3.77 © Ay-Ō

2. Hiyoku no tori no hāto (比翼の鳥のハート)

3. Butterfly (Batafurai バタフライ)

4. A Big Tree

5. Yawn (Akubi あくび)

Ay-O Happy Rainbow Hell

This kaleidoscopic catalog, and first book in English dedicated to Ay-Ō, celebrates the avant-garde artist’s first major museum exhibition in the United States

In Ay-Ō's mind, the rainbow is the most concrete manifestation of color as humans can perceive it. Although difficult to capture in reproduction, the vividness and density of the pigments Ay-Ō uses make them feel like a solid, physical presence—a concrete substance. The Ay-Ō’s Happy Rainbow Hell exhibition may be over, but you can enjoy his work whenever you want with Ay-O Happy Rainbow Hell, which is available from Smithsonian Books. Visit Smithsonian Books’ website to learn more about its publications and a full list of titles.