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Sumiyoshi house - Tadao

1997

Japanese (works in U.S.), born 1948

Known for his long-exposure photographs of seascapes and ornate picture palaces, Japanese-born Hiroshi Sugimoto has long been engaged with subject matter that reflects his interest in history and its intersection with the present moment. This photograph and the one adjacent are part of a larger series Sugimoto began in 1997 in which he photographed iconic Modernist buildings by some of the 20th century's most well-known architects. Sugimoto's photographs are intentionally out-of-focus as a way of evoking the buildings' strength of character and visual integrity. Although Sugimoto has noted that "a lot of modern buildings dissolve" when shot this way, it is clear that the work of Tadao Ando and Marcello Piacentini withstood Sugimoto's rigorous investigations.

Black-and-white photograph

20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 61cm)

Gift of Christina and James Lockwood in honor of Mimi Gardner Gates

2009.30.1

Provenance: [Sonnabend Gallery, New York]; Christina and James Lockwood, Seattle

Not currently on view

Resources

Published ReferencesBonami, Francesco, editor, Contributions by John Yau, Text by Marco de Michelis, Robert Fitzpatrick; "Sugimoto: Architecture, 2003 D.A.P./Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto

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