A Poet of Colors and Forms
Koshiro Onchi
Published by Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo, 1994, 336 pp. (colour & b/w ill.), 15.3 × 21.9 cm, Japanese/English
Price: €62

Produced on the occasion of the exhibition Onchi, A Poet of Colors and Forms at the Yokohama Museum of art, October 8 – November 6, 1994.

Koshiro Onchi was the most important figure in the ‘Sosaku Hanga’ movement from 1918 until his death, outstanding as a print artist, photographer, book designer and active as a poet, founder and editor of magazines, an author on the subject of prints, art and literature, a leader and organiser of societies and encourager of other artists.

*Please note this publication is secondhand and has some traces of previous ownership.

#1994 #abstractphotography #japaneseavantgarde #japanesephotography #koshiroonchi
Traces of Light in Modernism
Koshiro Onchi, Osamu Shiihara and Ei-Q
Published by The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1997, 40 pp. (b/w ill.), 21 × 29.7 cm, Japanese/English
Price: €44

Various artistic trends originating in Europe after World War 1, such as Russian Constructivism, the Bauhaus in Germany and Surrealism in France, left a strong impression on Japanese art and photography in the Taisho and the early Showa periods. In photography in particular, the Western influence brought a new movement called Shinko Shashin (New Photography) in the early Showa period. This exhibition was an attempt at reexamining the visual expression in the period from the perspective of the photographic work of artists from fields other than photography, focusing on the work of Koshiro Onchi, Osamu Shiihara and Ei-Q.

*Please note this publication is secondhand and has some traces of previous ownership.

#1997 #abstractphotography #eiq #japaneseavantgarde #japanesephotography #koshiroonchi #osamushiihara
1952–1956, Tokyo
On Kawara
Published by Parco Co., Tokyo, 1991, unpaginated, hardcover in slipcase (colour & b/w ill.), 28 × 21.7 cm, Japanese/English
Price: €290

This publication focuses on On Kawara’s previously unstudied five-year stay in Tokyo, where he was part of influential avant-garde art student associations and wrote many pieces of art criticism. His violent and grotesque imagery from this period is in stark contrast to his streamlined conceptual date paintings.

Reproducing the complete Bathroom series (1953–54), Events in a Warehouse (1954), and a number of figurative paintings and drawings executed in Japan. The latter half of this book is a collection of newspaper headlines from 1952 to 1956 in both languages, printed on newsprint.

*Please note this publication is secondhand and has some traces of previous ownership.

#1991 #japaneseavantgarde #onkawara
The Spirit of Avant-Garde Photography: Transforming “Nothing Much”
Published by Akaaka, Kyoto, 2024, 240 pp. (colour & b/w ill.), 19 × 26 cm, Japanese with some English translations
Price: €25

During the 1930s, a large number of works influenced by surrealism were shown in Japan under the heading “avant-garde photography”. Among these were works by Shuzo Takiguchi (1903–1979), who soon thereafter founded the Avant-Garde Photography Association along with Nobuya Abe (1913–1971). Their theoretical approach to the photographic medium would in turn influence other experimental Japanese artists such as Kiyoji Otsuji (1923–2001) and Shigeo Gocho (1946–1983). Collectively these artists have made an indelible impact on 20th-century photography in Japan, which is the subject of this seminal exhibition catalogue on their work and legacy.

#2024 #abstractphotography #japaneseavantgarde #japanesephotography #kiyojiotsuji #nobuyaabe #shigeogocho #shuzotakiguchi
Yayoi Kusama New York/Tokyo
Published by Tankosha, Kyoto, 1999, 2 volumes in cardboard slipcase, 194 & 150 pp. (colour & b/w ill.), 29.5 × 21.5 cm, Japanese
Price: €65 (Out of stock)

Produced on the occasion of the exhibition Yayoi Kusama New York/Tokyo held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo in 1999. This two-volume collection (Love Forever Yayoi Kusama 1958-1968 & In Full Bloom Yayoi Kusama Years in Japan) contains paintings, photo collages, and sculptures created in both New York and Tokyo over the artist’s career.

*Please note this publication is secondhand and has some traces of previous ownership.

#1999 #japaneseavantgarde #yayoikusama
Japanese Women Artists in Avant-Garde Movements, 1950–1975
Published by Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Tochigi, 2005, 208 pages (colour & b/w ill.), 19.8 × 24.2 cm, Japanese/English
Price: €90 (Out of stock)

Produced on the occasion of the exhibition Japanese Women Artists in Avant-Garde Movements, 1950–1975 at Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, 24 July–11 September, 2005. Including artists Atsuko Tanaka, Yayoi Kusama, Mieko Shiomi, Yoko Ono, Sawako Goda, Shigeko Kubota, Mitsuko Tabe, Miyori Hayashi, Yuri Nonaka, Takako Saito and many more.

*Please note this publication is secondhand and has some traces of previous ownership.

#2005 #atsukotanaka #japaneseavantgarde #miekoshiomi #mitsukotabe #miyorihayashi #sawakogoda #shigekokubota #takakosaito #yayoikusama #yokoono #yurinonaka