The exhibition CHROMOTHERAPIA at Villa Medici in Rome will see important works by Hiro in its selection when it opens at the end of this month.
The show invites us to explore the history of colour photography over the whole course of the twentieth century, through the zestful gaze of 19 artists. The tour, in seven chapters, leads us into vibrant, saturated worlds where colour strikes the retina and engages the mind.
CHROMOTHERAPIA, curated by artist Maurizio Cattelan and Sam Stourdzé, makes a point of celebrating colour photography in exuberant style. Whether magnifying the details of an everyday scene, redefining codes of beauty in magazines, or capturing committed subjects, colour photography offers an intensely chromatic vision of the world. This diversity of gazes and practices bears witness to a common thread: the desire to make us see things differently, by infusing images with the life and emotion that only colour can convey.
The show will feature two works from Hiro's 1982 Foot Series (pictured) as well as other works by the great artist. Known for the originality of his photographs, Hiro’s photographic career began at Harper’s Bazaar New York as a fashion, still-life and portrait photographer. Shortly after arriving in America from Japan in 1954, Hiro landed an apprenticeship in Richard Avedon’s studio, within a few years he rose to extraordinary fashion photography heights. In 1963 he became the only photographer under contract at Harper’s Bazaar. Hiro loved exploring the possibility of the extraordinary, embedding his images with surprises, abnormalities and Surrealism.
CHROMOTHERAPIA runs from 28th February 2025 until 9th June 2025.
Image: Hiro, Foot Series #8 with Ant, New York, 1982 © Estate of Y. Hiro Wakabayashi