Kansuke Yamamoto created, between the early 1930s and 1980s, avant-garde photographic works that manifested his sharp eye for social criticism and a unique poetic sensibility. He was one of the leading figures of Surrealism photography in Japan. He used a variety of methods, including collage and photomontage. His subjects ranged from objects arranged in extraordinary ways and detailed close-ups of various materials. From the 1950s, he also created paintings, sculptures and serial theatrical photographs. Despite the fact that Yamamoto continued to produce works prolifically until his last years, only one book, published in 1970, was dedicated to his work. His works were long overlooked until the 2000s, when they began to be reevaluated in Japan and abroad. Today, his rich works are finally receiving the increased attention they deserve. This book contains 64 images, including the unpublished works, and his essays. Text is available in both Japanese and English.

Kansuke Yamamoto was born in Aichi in 1914 and passed away in 1987. He entered the French Literature Department at Meiji University and began writing poetry in 1930. In 1939, Yamamoto became a member of the avant-garde poets’ group “VOU”, organized by Katsue Kitasono and contributed poetry and visual works to the group’s journal until 1978, when it dissolved. In 1947, Yamamoto founded the avant-garde photographers’ group “VIVI” with Keiichiro Goto, Minayoshi Takada and Yoshifumi Hattori. In 1949, he became a member of the photography section of “Bijutsu Bunka Kyokai” (Fine Art and Culture Association). In 1970, he published Butterfly. His major solo exhibitions include Surrealist Yamamoto Kansuke at Tokyo Station Gallery (2001). His major international exhibitions include Japan’s Modern Divide: The Photographs of Hiroshi Hamaya and Kansuke Yamamoto at the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, 2013). His works are included in the collections of the Nagoya City Art Museum, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum.