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A black and white image of a man looking towards the camera solemnly against a dark background.

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Hiroshi Sugimoto divides his time between Tokyo and New York City. Over the past five decades, his photographs have received international acclaim and have been presented in major institutions across the globe.

While best known as a photographer, Sugimoto has more recently added architecture and sculpture to his multidisciplinary practice, as well as being artistic director on performing arts productions.

His work is represented in major public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and National Gallery, London.

Selected Works

Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Union City Drive In, 1993.
Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Union City Drive In, 1993. Gelatin silver print. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 1 of 8. Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Union City Drive In, 1993.
Black and white portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Diana, Princess of Wales, 1999. © Hiroshi Sugimoto, courtesy of the artist.
View larger image 2 of 8. Black and white portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales
Black and white photo of two manatees
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Manatee, 1994. © Hiroshi Sugimoto, courtesy of the artist.
View larger image 3 of 8. Black and white photo of two manatees
Two figures walk across a barren landscape
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Earliest Human Relatives, 1994. © Hiroshi Sugimoto, courtesy of the artist.
View larger image 4 of 8. Two figures walk across a barren landscape
Black and white portrait of Hiroshi Sugimoto wearing a hat and reflective round glasses
Hiroshi Sugimoto, Self Portrait, 2003 © Hiroshi Sugimoto. Courtesy of the artist.
View larger image 5 of 8. Black and white portrait of Hiroshi Sugimoto wearing a hat and reflective round glasses
A tall, silver, helical sculpture composed of stacked twisting forms stands on a white platform, with a black and white photograph of an abstract curved shape on the wall behind it.
Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Conceptual Forms 0003 and Mathematical Model 002. Gelatin silver print, aluminium and steel. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 6 of 8. A tall, silver, helical sculpture composed of stacked twisting forms stands on a white platform, with a black and white photograph of an abstract curved shape on the wall behind it.
A gallery installation featuring a tall, dark, needle-like spindle sculpture on a mirrored pedestal, centered between two framed black and white photographs of abstract architectural forms.
Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Conceptual Forms and Mathematical Model 006. Gelatin silver prints, aluminium and steel. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 7 of 8. A gallery installation featuring a tall, dark, needle-like spindle sculpture on a mirrored pedestal, centered between two framed black and white photographs of abstract architectural forms.
A framed black and white portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, in an elegant two-tone outfit, against a plain black background, hanging on a white gallery wall.
Installation view of Hiroshi Sugimoto, Diana, Princess of Wales, 1999. Gelatin silver print. Photo: Mark Blower. Courtesy the artist and the Hayward Gallery.
View larger image 8 of 8. A framed black and white portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales, in an elegant two-tone outfit, against a plain black background, hanging on a white gallery wall.

Articles & video

Focus on: Dioramas, Hiroshi Sugimoto
Three black and white photographs of Hiroshi Sugimoto's Dioramas series
Article

Focus on: Dioramas, Hiroshi Sugimoto

Get an expert insight into Hiroshi Sugimoto’s first photographic series, Dioramas, courtesy of the Hayward Gallery’s curatorial team.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘When photography was believable, my art was possible’
Hiroshi Sugimoto, an older Japanese man with white hair, wearing glasses and a grey suit jacket over a white t-shirt sits in the Hayward Gallery, behind him are two of his art works, part of the Hayward Gallery's Hiroshi Sugimoto exhibition
Video

Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘When photography was believable, my art was possible’

Photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto leads us through the Hayward Gallery’s 2023 survey of five decades of his work in this video interview.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: formative years and significant works
Black and white portrait of Hiroshi Sugimoto wearing a hat and reflective round glasses
Article

Hiroshi Sugimoto: formative years and significant works

An insight into the life and career of photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, the largest survey to date of whom was presented at the Hayward Gallery in 2023.

Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hayward Gallery: a curator's introduction
A black-and-white photo framed on the wall of a polar bear in Antarctica looking down at a seal.
Video

Hiroshi Sugimoto at the Hayward Gallery: a curator's introduction

Hayward Gallery Director Ralph Rugoff introduces the exhibition Hiroshi Sugimoto, the largest survey to date of the photographer’s work.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘My camera works as a time machine’
Hiroshi Sugimoto, an older Japanese man, wears sunglasses and a light jacket whilst being interviewed overlooking his Enoura Observatory in Japan
Video

Hiroshi Sugimoto: ‘My camera works as a time machine’

Photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto considers the impact of the invention of the camera and details his own approach, in this video.

5 things to know about Hiroshi Sugimoto at Hayward Gallery
A person looks at Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sea of Buddha installed in the Hayward Gallery.
Article

5 things to know about Hiroshi Sugimoto at Hayward Gallery

Here are five key things you need to know about the photographer whose work was exhibited at the Hayward Gallery in 2023-24.