Tomoe Yokoi “Flowers and Teacup” Mezzotint — Signed A.P., Gilt Frame

Tomoe Yokoi (b. 1942, Nagoya, Japan), Flowers and Teacup, mezzotint on paper. This serene still life depicts a floral-decorated teacup on a rust-colored cloth beside a vase of roses, set against a deep black ground. The rich tonal range and velvety textures exemplify Yokoi’s mastery of mezzotint, a demanding intaglio technique she refined under Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17 in Paris.

This impression is marked A.P. (Artist’s Proof) and pencil-signed by Yokoi lower right. It is housed in a beveled gilt frame with matting, protected under plexiglass. While the numbered edition for this print is documented around 90–95 impressions, only a small number of Artist’s Proofs (generally 10–15) were produced, making this example especially desirable.

Yokoi’s works have been widely exhibited and are held in major international collections, including the Musée d’Art Moderne and Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library, and the National Gallery in Oslo. Comparable mezzotints by Yokoi regularly appear at auction, often achieving $400–$1,000 depending on subject and condition.

Condition

Good overall. The mezzotint retains deep color and crisp detail. Plexiglass shows scratches along the right edge where it meets the mat. Frame displays light wear consistent with age.

Artist Biography: Tomoe Yokoi (b. 1942)

Tomoe Yokoi was born in 1942 in Nagoya, Japan, where she studied at the Tokyo College of Art (Bunka Gakuen). Early in her career she focused on Western representational techniques, developing a quiet, meditative style centered on everyday objects such as fruit, flowers, cups, and musical instruments.

In 1964, Yokoi moved to Paris to study under renowned printmaker Stanley William Hayter at Atelier 17, the influential printmaking workshop that trained artists from around the world. There she refined her skill in mezzotint, a labor-intensive intaglio technique prized for its deep tonal range and velvety textures. Yokoi became known for combining multiple plates and subtle color to produce images of serene simplicity and rich atmosphere.

By 1971 she had relocated to New York City, where her work matured into a distinctive blend of Japanese sensibility, European tradition, and American modernism. Her still lifes are often described as visual “haiku”—minimal, balanced, and contemplative, with a quiet luminosity that elevates the ordinary.

Yokoi’s work has been exhibited internationally in major print biennials in Oslo, Paris, New York, Düsseldorf, Bradford, and Ljubljana. Her mezzotints are included in significant public collections, including the Musée d’Art Moderne and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the Brooklyn Museum, the New York Public Library, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the National Gallery in Oslo.

Today, Tomoe Yokoi is regarded as a master mezzotint printmaker, celebrated for her technical precision and her ability to transform quiet still-life subjects into works of meditative beauty.

Dimensions

• Overall (framed): 15 × 18.5 in.

• Visible (sight): 7 × 11.5 in.