The was opened in 1983 in
Sakata, Yamagata (Japan), the birthplace of the photographer
Ken Domon
is one of the most renowned Japanese photographers of the 20th century. He is most celebrated as a photojournalist, though he may have been most prolific as a photographer of Buddhist temples and statuary.
Biography
Domon was born in Sakata, Ya ...
.
On the occasion of becoming the first honorary citizen of Sakata in 1974, Domon donated his entire collection of works to the town. This prompted the decision to build a museum in his honour, and it was the first museum dedicated to photography in Japan.
The museum has about 70,000 prints of works by Domon. It also has works by winners of the
Domon Ken Award
The Domon Ken Award (土門拳賞, ''Domon-Ken-shō'') is one of Japan's photographic awards.
The award was started in 1981 by the Mainichi Newspapers to mark the 110th birthday of the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', its daily newspaper and main publication ...
and another prize, the ) which is presented by the city in Domon's honour.
The museum building was designed by noted architect
Yoshio Taniguchi
Yoshio Taniguchi (谷口 吉生, ''Taniguchi Yoshio''; born 1937) is a Japanese architect best known for his redesign of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, which was reopened November 20, 2004. Critics have emphasized Taniguchi's fusion ...
, and won the 9th
Isoya Yoshida Award in 1984.
See also
*
List of museums devoted to one photographer
References
*
Matsumoto Norihiko (), ed. ''Nihon no bijutsukan to shashin korekushon'' (, Japan's art galleries and photography collections). Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2002. . Pp. 22–25.
External links
*
The Hidden Japan
Museums in Yamagata Prefecture
Photography museums and galleries in Japan
Biographical museums in Japan
Photography in Japan
Art museums established in 1983
1983 establishments in Japan
Sakata, Yamagata
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