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an open book with black and white photos of people in a living rooman open book with handwriting on it and a picture of a man in a suit
Premium Jeschke Jádi Auctions Berlin

Estimate €400 - €600
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Description
Photography Klein, William Tokyo. Foreword by Richard Friedenthal. Hamburg, Nannen 1965. 4°. 184 pp. with 169 plates. Hardback with colour-illustrated dust jacket. (‘Die Zeit’ Books). Heidtmann 18455. Cf. Auer 437. Koetzle 232 ff. The Open Book 206 ff. Roth, The Book of 801 Books 140 ff. (All US first editions from 1964). - First German edition. - With a handwritten dedication by W. Klein: ‘hopefull’ (2 Japanese characters) ‘William Klein’. - An electrifying portrait of Tokyo in the early 1960s: William Klein plunges into the streets of the burgeoning megacity with radical intimacy, stark black-and-white imagery and cinematic energy. Crowds, neon signs, stockbrokers, young people, protests and the avant-garde coalesce into a vibrant picture of a society caught between tradition, consumerism and modernity. With uncompromising perspectives, coarse grain and dynamic framing, Klein creates not a conventional cityscape but a visual spectacle. *Tokyo* ranks among the most significant photobooks of the 20th century – wild, immediate and, to this day, of overwhelming power. *Tokyo* is less a neutral documentary record than a subjective experience of the metropolis. Klein depicts a city on the threshold of global modernity, thereby challenging Western clichés of a quiet, orderly Japan. His radical, graphic style influenced a younger generation of Japanese photographers; Daido Moriyama, for example, is frequently cited in this context. – Dust jacket slightly rubbed at the top, very good copy. First German edition. – Signed copy. With a handwritten dedication by W. Klein: “hopefull (2 Japanese characters) William Klein.” – An electrifying portrait of Tokyo in the early 1960s: William Klein plunges into the streets of the burgeoning megacity with radical intimacy, stark black-and-white imagery, and cinematic energy. Crowds, neon signs, stockbrokers, young people, protests and the avant-garde coalesce into a vibrant portrait of a society caught between tradition, consumerism and modernity. With uncompromising perspectives, coarse grain and dynamic framing, Klein creates not a pleasing cityscape but a visual event. *Tokyo* ranks amongst the most significant photobooks of the 20th century—wild, immediate, and still overwhelmingly powerful today. *Tokyo* is less a neutral documentation than a subjective experience of the metropolis. Klein depicts a city on the threshold of global modernity, thereby challenging Western clichés of a quiet, orderly Japan. His radical, graphic style influenced a younger generation of Japanese photographers; Daido Moriyama, for example, is often cited in this context. – Dust jacket slightly scuffed at the top; very good copy. This lot is subject to standard tax. A 24.95% buyer’s premium is payable on the hammer price, and 7% (Books and Art) or 19% VAT (Manuscripts, Screenprints, Offset Prints, Photographs) is payable on the final invoice amount within the European Union. This lot is subject to standard taxation. A 24.95% buyer’s premium applies to the hammer price, and 7% (books and art) or 19% VAT (manuscripts, screen prints, offset prints and photographs) applies to the final invoice amount within the European Union.
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About the sale Valuable books, prints, historical photographs
Auction location
Auction time 10/24/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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