New York: Photography as Art

Exploring the boundaries of photography has always been Brian Hagiwara’s purpose with his art. A brief glimpse here shows his extraordinary commitment to form, composition and a delicate purpose, while equally displaying a strong sense of wit and humor.

1979-80

Alongside his commercial photography, Hagiwara created a body of work using Cibachrome prints, considered a revolution in color photography in its time. His solo shows in 1979 and 1980 at both Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City, and at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, offered definitive examples of this emerging technology. This suite of images creates delicate tableaus of daily life that are in turns intimate and eerily rhapsodic.

1981

As a photographer for rock and roll & jazz artists’ album covers, Hagiwara created iconic imagery that resonates in both time and place.

1978

For his first group show, Hagiwara presented a series of still life Polaroid images, another emerging art medium of that time, that showcases his composition skills. The show was exhibited in both Boston & New York.

1985-2010

In 1985, Hagiwara began shooting still life and food photography, working with large-format cameras to create imagery that evokes Dutch Still Life, Surrealism and Dadaism.