Framed: 32 x 24.5 inches

Capturing the spirit of Tokyo through everyday objects, figurative portrayals, still life, and architecture, Nobuyoshi Araki’s ‘Visions of Japan’ series was a body of work that was viewed as both compelling and controversial. Known for his sexually charged photography in general, this untitled nude from the series takes a far more demure approach. Araki portrays an image that is an embodiment of both Western influence and Eastern tradition, capturing grace and elegance as invoked by the visual aesthetic of the female’s form.

As one of Japan’s greatest and most controversial photographers, Nobuyoshi Araki (b. 1940, Tokyo, Japan) combines contemporary influences with traditional inspirations such as Shunga, the erotic art of the Edo period (1603 – 1867). The glossy imagery of contemporary culture has an enormous impact on much of his work, as Araki’s unabashedly confronts taboo subjects such as sex, nudity and death. Subjects vary widely from poetic and picturesque scenes of old Tokyo, erotic photographs of kimono-clad women bound in rope, and sensual close-ups of exotic flowers. As one of the most prolific artist’s in Japan, Araki has published over 350 books of photography, photographed musicians such as Bjork and Lady Gaga, and has contributed to the Sunrise anime series Brain Powered. Araki’s photographs have been exhibited extensively throughout the world with shows at Museum Moderner Kunst (Vienna, Austria), Barbican Art Gallery (London, UK), Hara Museum of Contemporary Art (Tokyo, JP), and PRISM (Los Angeles, CA), among others.

Select Public Collections:
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (San Francisco, CA)
Goetz Collection (Munich, Germany)
Fotomuseum Winterthur (Switzerland)