The first solo Japan traveling exhibition of work by Andreas Gursky (b. 1955), Germany's leading contemporary photographer, is to be held at The National Museum of Art, Osaka (following the National Art Center, Tokyo). With roots in traditional German photography, Gursky has received worldwide acclaim for his pioneering efforts in the medium of large-scale prints and his unique depictions of contemporary society.
Comprising approximately 50 photographs, specially selected by the artist, the exhibition spans Gursky's earliest works of the 1980s to such masterpieces as 99 Cent (1999), Rhine II (1999), F1 Pit Stop IV (2007), Pyongyang I (2007), Tokyo Stock Exchange (1990) and Kamiokande (2007) - both taken in Japan - and his latest work Qatar (2012). The most recent series of works - 'Ocean' (2010) produced with the aid of satellite imagery and 'Bangkok' (2011), which contemplates the surface of a river, display increasingly conceptual concerns where the artist is more akin to a painter using photographs.

Rather adhering to chronological order, a special effort has been made to present Gursky's entire body of work as a single unified entity made up of both new and old works in small and large formats displayed side by side. This unprecedented approach conveys the great appeal of Gursky's photographic vision.