The undisputed master of Japanese realist work after the war, Ken Domon (1909-1990) remains a reference for makers today.

He refined his art over the years, moving from propaganda work during the war to the medium as a life's mission, in search of his own Japan: a silent and beguiling country of ancient temples, Buddhist sculpture and puppet theatres, where he took refuge during the war; a Japan where the expressive, seductive faces of celebrities stand alongside the far more modest ones of street children.