New York Reports

Ryoji Akiyama
New York Reports

Photographs: Ryoji Akiyama

Publisher: Bokusui-Sha Press

Pictures: 47

Year: 1980

Comments: Black leather hardcover with tipped-in color plate, no dust jacket as issued, 250 x 230 mm. First edition, 1980. Some stains on the cover. Light wear inside. Binding is okay.

While the influences of William Klein, Robert Frank, and Ed Van Der Elsken are pervasive in Japanese photography of the 60s and 70s, a somewhat younger generation of photographers has, not surprisingly, looked to the likes of Stephen Shore and William Eggleston. Ryoji Akiyama is among the most important of these (Takeshi Homma and Masafumi Sanai are others). Akiyama's pictures strike a balance between spontaneity and careful composition. As such they also share some DNA with classic street photography (especially Winogrand).