Toko Shinoda (1913-2021) Japanese, Limited Edition Abstract Calligraphy Lithograph. A small burst of turquoise color in the upper left grounds the thicker black lines. Signed and numbered 4/35 in pencil bottom right. Titled "Sound A" in pencil bottom middle. 

Overall Size: 16 3/4 x 13 1/4 in. 

Sight Size: 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 in. 

Toko Shinoda (1913-2021) was a trailblazing Japanese artist celebrated for her pioneering abstract sumi ink paintings, lithographs, and prints. Born in China and raised in Tokyo, she broke away from traditional patriarchal expectations by running away from home at age 23 to pursue a professional career teaching calligraphy. Her early work faced harsh criticism from the conservative Japanese calligraphy establishment for defying gendered stylistic norms and rigid master-student hierarchies, but emboldened by postwar artistic freedom she evolved into avant-garde abstraction, eventually collaborating with modernist architects on prominent large-scale murals and architectural projects. She achieved international acclaim in the late 1950s during a two-year stay in the United States, exhibiting at prestigious New York galleries alongside major mid-century abstract expressionists, and remained active until her death at age 107. Her incredible legacy is preserved in premier global museums and dedicated art spaces like the British Museum, the Guggenheim, the Smithsonian, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, securing her status as a monumental figure who bridged Eastern calligraphy and Western modernism.

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