Fukase Masahisa

Masahisa Fukase (1934–2012) was a central figure in the I-photography movement, in which photographers focused on their private lives and personal relationships. His work symbolized a return to individualism after the politically charged 1960s. Fukase approached his subjects seriously but with a humorous eye, as seen in series such as Homo Ludens and Yoko, about his wife; three photo books about his beloved cat, Sasuke; the Kazoku/Family series, in which Fukase portrayed his family and himself; and Bukubuku, a series of self-portraits taken while bathing. In 1974, he was included in the influential New Japanese Photography exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His most famous work, Ravens, was first published in 1976 and is today considered one of the definitive masterpieces of the photographic medium. He remains one of Japan's most distinctive and influential photographers.

*This text was contributed by Mitsuhiro Wakayama.
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