Kawada Kikuji, the Japanese flag, from the series “Chizu” (“The Map”), 1959–65
Gelatin silver print. Museum purchase with funds by exhange from the Bequest of Charles W. Millard III. © Kawada Kikuji, courtesy of L. Parker Stephenson Photographs.
In the photo book Chizu (The Map) Kawada Kikuji’s raw and often apocalyptic images serve as metaphors for the profound impact of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the resulting dislocation of Japanese society following the Second World War. MFA Boston has acquired Kawada’s complete set of 87 photographs from Chizu, the negatives, the artist’s binders with his contact sheets and notes, and a first edition of the photo book. This monumental acquisition provides an important foundation for the Japanese photography collection that the Museum is now building.
Gelatin silver print.
Museum purchase with funds by exhange from the Bequest of Charles W. Millard III. © Kawada Kikuji, courtesy of L. Parker Stephenson Photographs.