Nobuyoshi Araki - Photographs London Wednesday, October 31, 2018 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Acquired directly form the artist

  • Literature

    Araki by Araki, The Photographer’s Personal Selection, 1963-2002, Tokyo: Kodansha, 2003, p. 356
    Araki: Self, Life, Death, London: Phaidon, 2005, p. 650

  • Catalogue Essay

    In the following two lots, Tokyo Comedy, 1997, by Nobuyoshi Araki is presented in colour and black and white. Printed from different negatives, these two versions demonstrate Araki’s distinct eroticism. In the chromogenic print, the intensity of the yakuza’s tattoos is accentuated, bringing the moment into a contemporary setting. In the gelatin silver print, the positioning of the figures closer in the foreground, together with the contrast of light and shadows, add to the drama of the scene. These two versions of the same subject provide a glimpse into Araki’s artistic experimentation.

52

Tokyo Comedy

1997
Gelatin silver print, printed later, flush-mounted.
Image: 45.4 x 57.3 cm (17 7/8 x 22 1/2 in.)
Frame: 54.5 x 67 cm (21 1/2 x 26 3/8 in.)

Signed in ink on the recto.

Estimate
£20,000 - 30,000 

Sold for £25,000

Contact Specialist
Genevieve Janvrin
Co-Head of Photographs, Europe
+33 1 53 71 77 87

Yuka Yamaji
Co-Head of Photographs, Europe
+44 20 7318 4098

Photographs

London Auction 1 November 2018