Getty Museum Presents Exhibition of Work by Hiroshi Sugimoto

The J. Paul Getty Museum presents Hiroshi Sugimoto: Past Tense in an exhibition on view February 4-June 8, 2014.

Since the mid-1970s, Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japanese, born 1948) has used photography to investigate how history pervades the present. Featuring photographs of habitat dioramas, wax portraits, and early photographic negatives. The exhibition brings together three separate bodies of work that present objects of historical and cultural significance in the collections of various museums. By photographing subjects that reimagine or replicate moments from the distant past and diverse geographical locations, Sugimoto critiques the medium’s presumed capacity to portray history with accuracy.

Sugimoto’s meticulously crafted prints are the result of a rigorous working method that includes extensive preparatory research, the use of a large-format view camera, and long exposures. Each of his projects is rooted in a sustained exploration of a singular motif and often carried out over many years. The exhibition will present a selection of prints from three bodies of work, Dioramas (1975–1994), Portraits (1999) and, his newest series, Photogenic Drawings (2008–present).

More information: http://news.getty.edu/press-materials/press-releases/getty-museum-highlights-hiroshi-sugimoto.htm