Cherry Blossom Time in Japan Special Edition (1986)

Cherry Blossom Time in Japan is the culmination of four trips Friedlander took to Japan to photograph its world-famous cherry blossom trees in full bloom. The photographs are printed with a special drytrap process on heavy matte paper. From the publisher: “The groundbreaking black and white images--first seen as 25 photogravures in a 1986 portfolio, and long out of print--appear as examples of radical picture-making even 20 years later, as few serious photographers would have dared to photograph cherry blossoms with anything other than color film at that time. The result is a new kind of beauty, with many of the compositions bordering on visual chaos. The images collected here serve as a precursor for much of Friedlander's late landscape work, which was exhibited to great acclaim in his 2005 Museum of Modern Art retrospective.”

Edition Size: 50

Publisher: Fraenkel Gallery

Description: Case contains book of 25 signed, matted gravure prints; image size of prints is 8½ x 12¾, whether horizontal or vertical; printed by Thomas Palmer

Details: Heathered cloth case and book cover; embossed title; gold stamped lettering; calligraphy by Shuntei Taniguchi endpapers are based on an old Japanese textile, made by Richard Benson; postbound so prints can be removed for framing and hanging

Dimensions: 15 x 20¼ x 2 inches