Necklace of Jane Seymour, 2000

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a photographer from Japan. He speaks of his work as showing "time exposed," which means that his images provide a lasting record for events that happen. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s image also center around the transience that is a part of life and the ongoing struggle between death and life. He took many of his influences from the works and writings of Marcel Duchamp as well as other Surrealist and Dadaist artists. Hiroshi Sugimoto also draws from influences in architecture from the late twentieth century. Sugimoto's photography involves using an 8x10 large-format camera with lengthy exposures. These choices have brought him a reputation for extreme technical skill. He has also received kudos for the philosophical and thematic elements of his photographs. Hiroshi Sugimoto’s most famous series are Dioramas, Portraits, Theaters and Seascapes. Dioramas focused on natural history museum displays, first at the American Museum of National History and later at other museums. Theatre’s includes photos of old movie theaters and drive-ins in the United States, shot with a 4x5 folding camera with tripod.Seascapes is a series of images of the horizon of the sea, with a large-format camera. Hiroshi Sugimoto also has taken pictures of many modern architectural works, starting with the Hall of 33 Bays in Kyoto but then moving to a series of important buildings around the globe, commissioned by Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. (Artist website)