Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

Yoshihiro Tatsuki, 28°26' North Latitude, 1970
Courtesy of Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography

New technology spreads fastest if it can be adapted to a sexual purpose. Without the appeal of erotic application, inventions like videotape, internet and 3D TV would probably still be looking for start-up capital. As demonstrated by the new exhibition “Look at Me! Portrait Photographs of Nude” (sic), photography in the 19th century was no different. With 150 works from the museum’s collection, the show’s starting point is nude photos taken in Japan to sell as exotic souvenirs to Victorian travelers. More up-to-date fare includes how photographers dealt with an excess of realism—cellulite and saggy breasts—by developing soft focus and other flattering techniques. The issue of “sex object” vs. “individual with sexuality” is broached with nude photographs that concentrate on their subjects as people with distinct identities. There’s also a section on nude family photography(!)

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
Look at Me! Portrait Photographs of Nudes. Until Oct 3, free (elem and under)/¥250 (MS, HS, 65 and over)/¥400 (univ)/¥500 (general). Yebisu Garden Place, 1-13-3 Mita, Meguro-ku. Tel: 03-3280-0099. Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm (Thu & Fri until 8pm). Nearest stn: Ebisu, east exit. www.syabi.com