BnF to Stage Major Survey of Japanese Photography from 1945 to 2025
In 2026, the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) will unveil an exhibition titled 'Japanese Photography from the Bibliothèque nationale de France: 1945-2025, Scenes, Signs, Sensations'. This event commemorates 80 years of Japanese photography and coincides with the 200th anniversary of photography itself. Attendees can expect to see 300 pieces, comprising 250 prints and 50 rare publications from the BnF’s archival collection. The exhibition will spotlight roughly 100 artists organized into six thematic categories, which include reportage, everyday life, theatrical representations, scenes of Paris, calligraphy, and Zen-inspired art.
Key facts
- Exhibition title: Photographies japonaises de la Bibliothèque nationale de France. 1945-2025 Scènes, signes, sensations
- Organized for the bicentennial of photography's invention
- 300 works: 250 photographic prints (mostly black-and-white) and 50 rare books from BnF collections
- BnF has collected Japanese photography since the late 1960s
- Collection holds nearly 4,000 prints by about 200 artists and reporters
- Also includes a hundred emblematic magazines and books
- Exhibition will feature around 100 artists
- Six thematic sections: reportage, intimate everyday, staged body, views of Paris, calligraphic forms, sensations and atmospheres
- Featured photographers include Hiroshi Hamaya, Hiromi Tsuchida, Yoko Yamamoto, Shigeo Gochō, Tokuko Ushioda, Shoji Ueda, Eikō Hosoe, Yuki Onodera, Mami Kiyoshi, Ihei Kimura, Yoshi Takata, Keiichi Tahara, Mamoru Sakamoto, Jun Shiraoka, Shōmei Tōmatsu, Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Takehiko Nakafuji, Sayuri Ichida, Hiroto Fujimoto, Kazuo Amemiya, Koichiro Kurita, Sayuki Inoue
- Exhibition scheduled for autumn 2026
Entities
Artists
- Hiroshi Hamaya
- Hiromi Tsuchida
- Yoko Yamamoto
- Shigeo Gochō
- Tokuko Ushioda
- Shoji Ueda
- Eikō Hosoe
- Yuki Onodera
- Mami Kiyoshi
- Ihei Kimura
- Yoshi Takata
- Keiichi Tahara
- Mamoru Sakamoto
- Jun Shiraoka
- Shōmei Tōmatsu
- Yasuhiro Ishimoto
- Takehiko Nakafuji
- Sayuri Ichida
- Hiroto Fujimoto
- Kazuo Amemiya
- Koichiro Kurita
- Sayuki Inoue
- Toshiko Hashimoto
- Toshio Shibata
Institutions
- Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
- MEM (Tokyo)
Locations
- France
- Paris
- Japan
- Tokyo
- Roppongi
- Nishimera Village
- Miyazaki Prefecture