Creator
Graphic Shūdan (Takashi Kijima and Shōzō Kitadai)
Title
Untitled.
Coverage
Tokyo
Publisher
Privately printed
Date
Late 1950s
Subject
3 1/4 x 3 1/8 in. overall in slipcase, 4 softcover vols., 48 pp each, white endpapers, gravure printed, #938/1000.
Description
This diminutive publication was conceived by Graphic Shūdan, an association of Japanese art directors, graphic designers and photographers in the advertising industry in the 1950s. It was produced as a promotional tool and not intended for sale. The juxtaposition of images of female nudes, close-ups of automobiles and flowers may not sound like a viable combination, but the photography by Kijima and Kitadai, inventive design and gravure printing creates a surprising publication that has a contemporary and fresh look even 65 years on.
Relation
From the collection of Jeffrey Gutterman