Nobuyoshi Araki: The Complete Works, Vol. 1: Naked Faces

The Works of Nobuyoshi Araki 1: Naked Faces by Nobuyoshi Araki is the first volume in a monumental 20-volume collection, compiling approximately 30 years of photographs of "faces." It features over 350 works, ranging from early pieces in the 1960s during his time at Dentsu to street snaps and color portraits of celebrities.

The arrangement, which flatly juxtaposes all kinds of "faces"—middle-aged women in Ginza, subway passengers, passersby, and even reproductions of posters and signboards—highlights the breadth and sharpness of Araki's continuous observation of humanity. True to the artist's words, "faces are photography," the work thoroughly presents "faces" as the intersection of an individual's inner world and the surface of society.

The end of the volume includes a critique, "On Nobuyoshi Araki," by Genpei Akasegawa. The raw connections created by the caption-less editing offer a thrilling experience that re-examines the act of seeing itself. It is a book that can be called the origin of Nobuyoshi Araki, delving into the essence of photography as a medium.

[Title] The Works of Nobuyoshi Araki 1: Naked Faces
[Publisher] Heibonsha
[Publication Date] January 20, 1996
[Pages] 191 pages
[Size] Approximately 150*225*15
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] ARAKI NOBUYOSHI SHASHIN ZENSHU DAI 1 KAN GANSHA
[Author/Editor, etc.] Nobuyoshi Araki/Author, Seiichi Suzuki Design Office/Book Design, Keiichi Kadosaki/Editor, Akihiro Hatanaka/Editor, Tooru Adachi/Editor,
[Printing] Toppan Printing/Printing, Oguchi Binding Printing/Binding
[ISBN] 4582664016
[Condition] Used [5] Fair (slight age-related tanning)
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Nobuyoshi Araki (born 1940)

Born on May 25, 1940, in Minowa, Taito-ku, Tokyo.
In 1959, he enrolled in the Department of Photography and Printing Engineering at Chiba University, graduating in 1963. After graduation, he joined Dentsu and worked as an advertising photographer. In 1964, he received the 1st Taiyo Award for "Sachin," establishing himself as a photographer.

In 1971, he published his privately printed photo book Sentimental Journey, documenting his honeymoon with his colleague Yoko Aoki, establishing his "I-photography" style. He left Dentsu in 1972 to become a freelancer, photographing a diverse range of subjects including nudes, urban landscapes, flowers, his beloved cat Chiro, daily life with his wife Yoko, and street snaps. His style, emphasizing fragments of daily life and personal emotions, created a new trend in the photography world.

From the 1980s onwards, he developed dense daily photographs using medium-format cameras such as the Pentax 67 and Plaubel Makina 67, as well as Leica. With an intimate gaze at his subjects and humid descriptions, he explored expressions that blurred the boundaries between private and public space. He has published over 500 photo books and is highly acclaimed both in Japan and internationally.

His major photo books include Sentimental Journey (1971), Tokyo Hiyori (1977), Shakyo Rōjin A (1990), Shashin Shijoshugi (2000), and The Works of Nobuyoshi Araki (2008).

His awards include the Taiyo Award, the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, the 6th Ango Award, and the 54th Mainichi Art Award Special Prize. He continues to actively photograph and is globally recognized as one of Japan's leading contemporary photographers.

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Nobuyoshi Araki