Hiroshi Sugimoto | Architecture

Early-twentieth century modernism was a watershed moment in cultural history, a stripping away of superfluous decoration. The spread of democracy and the innovations of the Machine Age swept aside the ostentation that heretofore had been a signifier of power and wealth. I set out to trace the beginnings of our age via architecture. Pushing out my old large-format camera’s focal length to twice-infinity--with no stops on the bellows rail, the view through the lens was an utter blur--I discovered that superlative architecture survives the onslaught of blurred photography. Thus I began erosion-testing architecture for durability, completely melting away many of the buildings in the process. Join us as Hiroshi shares his latest work with Darius Himes! Hiroshi Sugimoto has helped define what it means to be a multidisciplinary contemporary artist, his photographs blurring the lines between photography, painting, installation and architecture. He has exhibited extensively in major museums and galleries throughout the world, and his work is held in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; National Gallery, London; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Smithsonian, Washington, DC; and Tate, London, among others. Sugimoto divides his time between Tokyo and New York City. Darius Himes is the International Head of Photographs for Christie’s and co-author of Publish Your Photography Book. Recorded November 1, 2019