Shomei Tomatsu
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese photographer.
Born Teruaki Tōmatsu in Nagoya in 1930, Tōmatsu studied economics at Aichi University
, graduating in 1954. While still a student, he had his photographs published by the major Japanese photography magazines. He entered Iwanami and worked on the series Iwanami Shashin Bunko. Two years later he left in order to freelance.
In 1959 Tōmatsu formed Vivo
with Eikoh Hosoe
and Ikkō Narahara
. Two years later, his and Ken Domon
's book Hiroshima–Nagasaki Document 1961, on the effects of the atomic bombs, was published to great acclaim.
In 1972 he moved to Okinawa; in 1975 his prizewinning book of photographs of Okinawa, Pencil of the Sun was published.
Tōmatsu moved to Nagasaki in 1998.
Shomei Tomatsu: Skin of the Nation, a retrospective, was organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and curated by Sandra Phillips and the photographer and writer Leo Rubinfien
. The exhibition toured internationally from 2004 through 2006: Japan Society
, New York (September 2004 – January 2005), National Gallery of Canada
, Ottawa (January – April),
Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, D.C. (May – August), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(February–May 2006), Fotomuseum Winterthur
(September–November 2006).
Other recent exhibitions include:
Born Teruaki Tōmatsu in Nagoya in 1930, Tōmatsu studied economics at Aichi University
Aichi University
is a private university in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its campuses are at Toyohashi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya and Miyoshi, Aichi.-History:The school was founded in 1901, and it was chartered as an university in 1946. Its predecessor was The East Asian University of Literature, a Japanese university...
, graduating in 1954. While still a student, he had his photographs published by the major Japanese photography magazines. He entered Iwanami and worked on the series Iwanami Shashin Bunko. Two years later he left in order to freelance.
In 1959 Tōmatsu formed Vivo
Vivo (photography)
Vivo was a short-lived Japanese photographic cooperative.Eikoh Hosoe, Kikuji Kawada, Ikkō Narahara, Akira Satō, Akira Tanno, and Shōmei Tōmatsu — six of the participants of the celebrated 1957 exhibition Jūnin no me — formed the Vivo cooperative in July 1957, naming it after the...
with Eikoh Hosoe
Eikoh Hosoe
is a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality...
and Ikkō Narahara
Ikko Narahara
is a Japanese photographer. Born in Fukuoka, Narahara studied law at Chuo University and, influenced by statues of Buddha at Nara, art history at the graduate school of Waseda University ....
. Two years later, his and Ken Domon
Ken Domon
is one of the most renowned Japanese photographers of the twentieth century. He is most celebrated as a photojournalist, though he may have been most prolific as a photographer of Buddhist temples and statuary....
's book Hiroshima–Nagasaki Document 1961, on the effects of the atomic bombs, was published to great acclaim.
In 1972 he moved to Okinawa; in 1975 his prizewinning book of photographs of Okinawa, Pencil of the Sun was published.
Tōmatsu moved to Nagasaki in 1998.
Exhibitions
Tōmatsu has had various retrospectives, both within Japan and abroad. In the early years of the new century he embarked on a new and comprehensive series of retrospectives, dividing his oeuvre into five "mandalas" of place:- Nagasaki Mandala (Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum, 2000)
- Okinawa Mandala (Urasoe Art Museum, 2002)
- Kyo Mandala (Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, 2003)
- Aichi Mandala (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, 2006)
- Tokyo Mandala (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of PhotographyTokyo Metropolitan Museum of PhotographyThe is an art museum focused on photography. The museum was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is located in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo...
, 2007)
Shomei Tomatsu: Skin of the Nation, a retrospective, was organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and curated by Sandra Phillips and the photographer and writer Leo Rubinfien
Leo Rubinfien
Leo Rubinfien is an American photographer and essayist. He lives and works in New York City.- Biography :Rubinfien first came to prominence as part of the circle of artist-photographers who investigated new color techniques and materials in the 1970s...
. The exhibition toured internationally from 2004 through 2006: Japan Society
Japan Society (New York)
Founded in 1907, Japan Society is a nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that aims to brings the people of Japan and the United States closer together through understanding, appreciation and cooperation...
, New York (September 2004 – January 2005), National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
, Ottawa (January – April),
Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, D.C. (May – August), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
(February–May 2006), Fotomuseum Winterthur
Fotomuseum Winterthur
Fotomuseum Winterthur was founded in 1993 and is dedicated to photography as art form and document, and as a representation of reality. Fotomuseum Winterthur is on the one hand an art gallery for photography by contemporary photographers and artists...
(September–November 2006).
Other recent exhibitions include:
- Shomei Tomatsu: Ravages of Time (September–October 2001) Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
- Myths and Games: Milton Montenegro, Daido Moriyama, Hiromi Tsuchida and Others (June–July 2004) Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
- Poli Sci (September–November 2004) Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
- Common Ground: Discovering Community in 150 Years of Art: Selections from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell (October 2004 – January 2005) Corcoran Museum of Art (Washington, DC)
- Festivals and Rituals (November 2004 – January 2005) Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
- Color/Generations: Shomei Tomatsu, Cassio Vasconcellos, Yoshi Abe and others (March–April 2005) Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
- Saints and Sinners:: Images and Books November–December 2006, Tepper Takayama Fine Arts (Boston)
Books by Tōmatsu and compilations of his works
- Suigai to nihonjin . Iwanami Shashin Bunko 124. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1954. Joint work. The photographs are reproduced within Aichi Mandala (2006).
- Yakimono no machi: Seto . Iwanami Shashin Bunko 165. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1955. The photographs are reproduced within Aichi Mandala (2006).
- Hiroshima–Nagasaki Document 1961. Tokyo: Japan Council against A- and H-Bombs. With Ken DomonKen Domonis one of the most renowned Japanese photographers of the twentieth century. He is most celebrated as a photojournalist, though he may have been most prolific as a photographer of Buddhist temples and statuary....
. - "11 ji 02 fun" Nagasaki . Tokyo: Shashin Dōjinsha, 1966.
- Nippon . Tokyo: Shaken, 1967.
- Sarāmu areikomu . Tokyo: Shaken, 1968. Photographs of Afghanistan, taken in August 1963.
- Ō! Shinjuku . Tokyo: Shaken, 1969.
- Okinawa Okinawa Okinawa . Tokyo: Shaken, 1969.
- Sengoha . Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha, 1971. Tokyo: Gurabia Seikōsha, 1971.
- Tōmatsu Shōmei shashinshū / I Am a King. Tokyo: Shashinhyōronsha, 1972.
- Akemodoro no hana . Tokyo: Sanseidō, 1976.
- Doro no Ōkoku / Kingdom of Mud. Sonorama Shashin Sensho 12. Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1978. With a summary in English in addition to the Japanese text. A reworking of the material published earlier in Sarāmu areikomu. Hikaru kaze / Sparkling Winds: Okinawa. Nihon no Bi. Tokyo: Shūeisha, 1979. A large-format (37cm high) book of color photographs of Okinawa. An supplementary colophon gives publication details in English (including the only mention of the English title), but all the explanations and other texts are in Japanese only.
- Tōmatsu Shōmei . Shōwa shashin: Zenshigoto. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1984. One in a series of books of which each is devoted to the entire career of a single photographer.
- Shomei Tomatsu, Japan 1952–1981. Graz: Edition Camera Austria; Vertrieb, Forum Stadtpark Graz, 1984. ISBN 3900508046. In German and English.
- Haien: Tōmatsu Shōmei sakuhinshū / Ruinous Gardens. Tokyo: Parco, 1987. ISBN 4-89194-150-2.
- Sakura sakura sakura 66 . Osaka: Brain Center, 1990. ISBN 4-8339-0513-2. Color photographs of sakuraSakuraA cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...
. - Sakura sakura sakura 120 / Sakura. Osaka: Brain Center, 1990. ISBN 4-8339-0512-4. Color photographs of sakuraSakuraA cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...
. Texts in both Japanese and English. - Nagasaki "11:02" 1945-nen 8-gatsu 9-nichi . Photo Musée. Tokyo: Shinchōsha, 1995. ISBN 4-10-602411-X.
- Intāfeisu: Tōmatsu Shōmei shashinten / Interface: Shomei Tomatu interface. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, 1996. Exhibition catalogue. In Japanese and English.
- Toki no shimajima . Tokyo: Iwanami, 1998. ISBN 4-00-008072-5. Text by Ryūta Imafuku . Visions of Japan. Kyoto: Kōrinsha, 1997. ISBN 4-7713-2831-5. Photographs taken 1987–9 of plastic goods washed up by the sea.
- Tomatsu Shomei. Visions of Japan. Kyoto: Kōrinsha, 1998. ISBN 4-7713-2806-4.
- Nihon rettō kuronikuru: Tōmatsu no 50-nen / Traces: 50 years of Tomatsu's works. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1999. In Japanese and English. Tōmatsu Shōmei . Nihon no Shashinka. Tokyo: Iwanami, 1999. ISBN 4-00-008370-8. A compact overview of Tōmatsu's career, within a series about the Japanese photographic pantheon.
- Tōmatsu Shōmei 1951–60 . Tokyo: Sakuhinsha, 2000. ISBN 4-87893-350-X. Rubinfien, Leo, et al. Shomei Tomatsu: Skin of the Nation. Yale University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-300-10604-1. Jeffrey, Ian. Shomei Tomatsu. Phaidon 55. London: Phaidon, 2001. ISBN 071484019X.
- Nagasaki mandara: Tōmatsu Shōmei no me 1961– . Nagasaki: Nagasaki Shinbunsha, 2005. ISBN 4-931493-68-8. Camp karafuru na! Amarinimo karafuru na!! . Gallery Nii, 2005. Colorful photographs around US military bases in Okinawa.
- Aichi mandara: Tōmatsu Shōmei no gen-fūkei / Aichi Mandala: The Early works of Shomei Tomatsu. Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art and Chunichi Shinbun, 2006. Catalogue of an exhibition held at Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art in June–July 2006. Photographs 1950–59, and also a small number of later works, of AichiAichi Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
. This large book has captions in Japanese and English, some other texts in both languages, and some material in Japanese only. - Tōkyō mandara / Tokyo Mandala: The World of Shomei Tomatsu. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1997. Catalogue of an exhibition held October–December 2007. Nantō / Nan-to. Gallery Nii, 2007. Color photographs of Taiwan, Guam, Saipan, and other islands in the southern Pacific.
Other contributions
- Hiraki, Osamu, and Keiichi Takeuchi. Japan, a Self-Portrait: Photographs 1945–1964. Paris: Flammarion, 2004. ISBN 2-08-030463-1. Tōmatsu is one of eleven photographers whose works appear in this large book (the others are Ken Domon, Hiroshi HamayaHiroshi Hamayawas a renowned Japanese photographer.-Books of Hamaya's works:*Senkō shashinjutsu . Ars Shashin Bunko. Tokyo: Ars, 1941.*Ura Nihon . Tokyo: Shinchōsha, 1957.*Henkyō no machi . Sekai Shashinka Shirīzu. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1957....
, Tadahiko Hayashi, Eikoh HosoeEikoh Hosoeis a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality...
, Yasuhiro IshimotoYasuhiro IshimotoIshimoto was born on 14 June 1921 in San Francisco, California, where his parents were farmers. In 1924, the family left the United States and returned to his parents' hometown within present-day Tosa, in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan...
, Kikuji KawadaKikuji Kawadais a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Ihei KimuraIhei KimuraBorn on 12 December 1901 in Shitaya-ku , Tokyo, Kimura started taking photographs when very young but his interest intensified when he was around 20 and living in Tainan, Taiwan, where he was working for a sugar wholesaler. He opened a photographic studio in Nippori, Tokyo in 1924...
, Shigeichi NaganoShigeichi NaganoBorn on 30 March 1925 in Ōita City, Nagano studied economics at Keio University . On graduating, he joined a trading company, but soon resigned. He was recruited by Natori Yōnosuke for Weekly Sun News ; and in 1949 moved to Iwanami Shoten where, again under Natori, he did the photography for about...
, Ikkō NaraharaIkko Naraharais a Japanese photographer. Born in Fukuoka, Narahara studied law at Chuo University and, influenced by statues of Buddha at Nara, art history at the graduate school of Waseda University ....
, Takeyoshi TanumaTakeyoshi Tanumais a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
). - Holborn, Mark. Black Sun: The Eyes of Four: Roots and Innovation in Japanese Photography. New York: Aperture, 1986. ISBN 0893811858. The other three are Masahisa FukaseMasahisa Fukase, born 25 February 1934 in Hokkaidō, is a Japanese photographer.-Life:Among Fukase's early works was the "Kill the Pigs" concerning a slaughterhouse...
, Eikoh HosoeEikoh Hosoeis a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. He is known for his psychologically charged images, often exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality...
, and Daidō MoriyamaDaido Moriyamais a Japanese photographer noted for his images depicting the breakdown of traditional values in post-war Japan.- Life and career :Born in Ikeda, Osaka, Daidō Moriyama studied photography under Takeji Iwamiya before moving to Tokyo in 1961 to work as an assistant to Eikoh Hosoe...
. - 25-nin no 20-dai no shashin / Works by 25 Photographers in their 20s. Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts exhibition catalogue, 1995. Parallel texts in Japanese and English.
- Kaku: Hangenki / The Half Life of Awareness: Photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1995. Exhibition catalogue; captions and text in both Japanese and English. Twenty-three pages are devoted to photographs by Tōmatsu (other works are by Ken DomonKen Domonis one of the most renowned Japanese photographers of the twentieth century. He is most celebrated as a photojournalist, though he may have been most prolific as a photographer of Buddhist temples and statuary....
, Toshio FukadaToshio Fukadais a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Kikujirō FukushimaKikujiro Fukushimais a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Shigeo HayashiShigeo Hayashiwas a Japanese photographer. After three years of army service he began his career as a photographer with the Japanese propaganda magazine FRONT, in 1943. In September 1945 he was one of two photographers assigned by the Special Committee for the Investigation of A-bomb Damage to document the...
, Kenji IshiguroKenji Ishigurois a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Shunkichi KikuchiShunkichi Kikuchiwas a Japanese photographer best known for his documentation of Hiroshima and Tokyo immediately after the war.Kikuchi was born in Hanamaki, Iwate on 1 May 1916. After graduating from the Oriental School of Photography, Kikuchi was employed in the Photography Division of Tokyo Kōgeisha and began his...
, Mitsugi KishidaMitsugi Kishidawas a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Eiichi MatsumotoEiichi Matsumotois a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Yoshito MatsushigeYoshito Matsushigewas a Japanese photojournalist who survived the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and took five photographs on the day of the bombing in Hiroshima, the only photographs taken that day within Hiroshima that are known....
, Hiromi TsuchidaHiromi Tsuchidais a renowned Japanese photographer.Tsuchida has produced several collections of photographs of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He has produced many influential photo books such as Zokushin, counting the sand and new counting the sand and The Berlin Wall...
and Yōsuke YamahataYosuke Yamahatawas a Japanese photographer best known for extensively photographing Nagasaki the day after it was bombed.Yamahata was born in Singapore; his father, Shōgyoku Yamahata had a job there related to photography. He went to Tokyo in 1925 and eventually started at Hosei University but dropped out in...
). - Nihon shashin no tenkan: 1960 nendai no hyōgen / Innovation in Japanese Photography in the 1960s. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1991. Exhibition catalogue, text in Japanese and English. Pp.78–88 show photographs from the series "11:02 Nagasaki".
- Szarkowski, JohnJohn SzarkowskiJohn Szarkowski was a photographer, curator, historian, and critic. From 1962 to 1991 Szarkowski was the Director of Photography at New York's Museum of Modern Art.-Early life and career:...
, and Shoji YamagishiShoji Yamagishiwas a photography critic, curator, and magazine editor.Yamagishi entered Mainichi Shinbunsha in 1950. He started as a photographer, but was less successful at taking than at selecting photographs....
. New Japanese Photography. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1974. ISBN 0-87070-503-2 (hard), ISBN 0-87070-503-2 (paper). Contains twenty photographs by Tōmatsu. - Yamagishi, ShojiShoji Yamagishiwas a photography critic, curator, and magazine editor.Yamagishi entered Mainichi Shinbunsha in 1950. He started as a photographer, but was less successful at taking than at selecting photographs....
, ed. Japan: A Self-Portrait. New York: International Center of Photography, 1979. ISBN 0-933642-01-6 (hard), ISBN 0-933642-02-4 (paper). Contains twelve photographs by Tōmatsu of "American bases and their surroundings: 1960s–1970s".
Sources and further reading
- "Skin of the Nation": publicity for the 2005 exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of ArtThe Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
. - Tucker, Anne Wilkes, et al. The History of Japanese Photography. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-300-09925-8
- "Skin of the Nation": interactive feature for the exhibition at SFMOMA.