Tomatsu, Shomei (b. 1930), Japanese photographer, resident in Nagasaki. Born in Aichi, he began photographing in 1950. Freelance since 1956, he became prominent in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a member of VIVO with Hosoe, Kawada, Narahara, and others. With his concentration on Japanese post-war society and strong figurative style, exemplified by The Occupation and Houses of 1960, he became very influential. The reputation established with these series was consolidated by his 1961 documentary project on Nagasaki and its A-bomb victims sixteen years on. His many books include Nagasaki 11:02 (1966) and Japan (1967); The Pencil of the Sun (1975) resulted from an extended stay in Okinawa, base of the US fleet. His late 1980s work includes found still lifes on dark beaches littered with coloured plastic. In the 1990s he assembled silicon chips with other found objects and leaves. He has received numerous awards and exhibited worldwide, including a one-man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1992).
— Madeleine Hill Vedel
Bibliography
- Shomei Tomatsu, Traces: 50 Years of Tomatsu's Works (1999)
