Kishin Shinoyama - NUDE, an insight of the Japanese master photographer's erotic life's work

The Michael Hoppen Contemporary is pleased to announce the first UK exhibition of Kishin Shinoyama’s works from the 1960s with a focus on the themes of ‘Birth, Twin, Death Valley, Brown Lilly und Phantom’.

Shinoyama was born in Tokyo, 1940 and had intended to lead his life as a Buddhist monk. At the age of 10 he held a camera in his hands fro the first time. The seed had been sown.

He studied Photography at Nihon University in Tokyo, and from the early 60s worked as a freelancer for the Light Publicity Company. He was one of the youngest and most sought after photographers of his day.

Having left Light Publicity in 1968 to finally stand on his own two feet, he became a true media star. Back then, his photographs of famous faces from the time such as travesty star Akihiro Mruyama, as well as his nude works, were a sensation for the public.

The exhibition is a unique opportunity to view rare vintage prints by an artist who worked at the very forefront of experimental beauty and nude photography over several decades. And all up to the age of over 70 years.

We highly recommend NUDE the book to anyone that can’t make it to the exhibition.


Kishin Shinoyama - NUDE
Michael Hoppen Contemporary
until 20 February


Nude by Kishin
Japan’s Master Photographer Kishin Shinoyama
opens his erotic archive
With an essay by Jean-Philippe Toussaint
440 pages, 294 plates in colour and duotone
ISBN 978-3-8296-0415-4
RRP: € 128,- ; sFr 204,-