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Which art books, prints and posters are available by and about this artist? Here is a sample of items of interest to a typical collector:
Ken Ohara, Japanese, b. 1942
Born in Tokyo, Ken Ohara is a contemporary photographer best known for his intense, conceptual examinations of the human face and identity. He moved to New York City in the 1960s, where he developed a rigorous, formalist approach to portraiture that challenges traditional notions of psychological depth in favor of a striking, uniform presence.
Ohara is most famous for his seminal 1970 photobook, One, which remains a highly sought-after masterpiece of post-war photography. For this project, Ohara walked the streets of New York, asking random passersby if he could photograph them. He used a tight, macro-lens framing that cropped out hair, ears, and clothing, leaving only the eyes, nose, and mouth. Printed full-bleed and with high contrast, the hundreds of faces in One are stripped of social, cultural, and economic context. By enforcing an identical scale and perspective, Ohara's typological approach transforms individual portraits into a overwhelming, collective study of humanity—anticipating modern discussions around data, identity, and facial recognition.
Ohara’s work bridges the raw, street-level energy of mid-century American photography with the uncompromising, serial conceptualism often associated with the Düsseldorf School. His prints and publications are held in major museum collections internationally, celebrated for their ability to reduce photography to its purest tactile and visual essence.
