Lambda Baryta print

60.9×50.8 cm. 24×20 in.

Signed in initials on bottom right; signed in Kanji and English on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Eikoh Hosoe Foundation, Tokyo
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by Eikoh Hosoe

Avant-Garde, Liberated Art
Eikoh Hosoe Captures Kusama's Moments

"My photography themes are 'sex' and 'life,' with coarse grains and high contrast as my absolute conditions."
—Eikoh Hosoe

Eikoh Hosoe, born in 1933, is hailed as Japan's most internationally renowned photography genius. At 18, he won the Gold Prize in the Student Division of the Fuji Photography Contest, showcasing his extraordinary talent. After graduating from Tokyo Polytechnic University, he founded the avant-garde photography group "VIVO," leading Japan into a golden age of photographic art. Over the years, Hosoe has explored the dichotomy of spirit and flesh, blending Eastern mysticism with innovative techniques, and challenging the post-war realism trend in Japanese photography. In 1961, his work Ordeal by Roses, featuring Japanese literary giant Yukio Mishima, cemented his international stature, earning him a special medal from the Royal Photographic Society in 2003. He is considered a "National Treasure" of Japan alongside Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno and pop art pioneer Yayoi Kusama.

Following the success of Ordeal by Roses, Hosoe travelled to New York in 1964 to photograph the avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, creating three major series. The two works presented here are from the most acclaimed Yayoi Kusama's Studio series, showcasing the artistic synergy and historical bond between the two masters in a foreign land.

Facing Fears

In a vertical piece (Lot 97), Kusama lies in her iconic polka-dot soft sculpture Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli's Field, with her legs spread upward in a V shape, surrounded by countless red-dotted phallic objects. This composition symbolizes her attempt to confront her fear and aversion to male genitalia. The mirrors multiply the phallic forms infinitely, imbuing the silent objects with a semblance of life. At the centre, Kusama's youthful face gazes firmly and confidently at the camera, hinting at her defiance of male dominance and pursuing of self-beauty and inner strength. Hosoe captures this dramatic moment with multiple exposures, superimposing Kusama's face in a kaleidoscopic effect, blending with the infinite reflections of the mirror room. Her determined gaze remains steady, a self-declaration of fearlessness and self-assertion, resonating as a passionate duet of kindred artistic spirits in a foreign land.

Humanity's Harmony

The other work (Lot 98) reveals a different facet of Kusama. With long straight hair and bangs, she appears serene and gentle, pressing her left cheek against the phallic soft sculptures in her studio, symbolizing her open attitude towards sexuality and aligning with the women's rights movement in America at the time. Her soft gaze and slight smile convey a sense of reconciliation and comfort. Hosoe employs straightforward black-and-white photography, capturing Kusama's natural and genuine interaction with her work, highlighting the contrast with the fierce determination in the previous piece. This portrayal reflects the everyday reality and contradictions of a legendary avant-garde artist, suggesting that beneath the external aura, humanity is the essence of life.

Price estimate:
HKD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 5,100 – 7,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 60,000