Light Dandyism Iwata Nakayama

*This book is secondhand.

This is a photo collection by Japanese photographer Iwata Nakayama.

Shortly after photography began to spread, he studied photography at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1915. After graduating, he traveled to the United States as an overseas practical trainee for the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, and served as an assistant at Kikuchi Studio, which was run by New York-based photographer Toyo Kikuchi. In 1921, he went independent and opened Lacan Studio.

He was doing well as a portrait photographer, but in 1926 he decided to travel to France, where he interacted with artists such as  and Man Ray.

Returning to Japan in 1927, he set up a studio in Ashiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. He also founded the Ashiya Camera Club, attracted members, and sparked a new photography movement in the Kansai region.

In 1932, together with Kozo Nojima and Ihei Kimura, he launched the national photography magazine Koga, making a significant contribution to the development of photographic expression in Japan.

This is the first comprehensive photo book to showcase Iwata Nakayama's masterpieces from his lifetime.

In addition to works taken in New York and Paris, the book also includes photomontages and compositions, which he actively pursued as new forms of photographic expression after returning to Japan.

This book offers a glimpse into the unique worldview of Iwata Nakayama, who was one of the earliest photographers to travel abroad and was influenced by the art and culture of the first half of the 20th century that he witnessed firsthand, but who skillfully assimilated and created from it.