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About British photographer, Michael KENNA (b.1953 in Widnes, Cheshire, England)
Michael KENNA is one of the most renowned living landscape photographers. He graduated with distinction from the Banbury School of Art and the London College of Printing in 1976. In 1977 he moved to San Francisco, where he worked for Ruth BERNHARD for eight years, who became a major influence on him. He learned a lot from her about the creative use of negatives (negative film). For him, its manipulation is an essential tool for the photographer's interpretation of what is depicted. However, he is rather critical of the digital alteration of images, as he fears that it interrupts the photographer's connection to reality. His mostly black and white photographs have a meditative, poetic character. His most important works include such diverse pieces as photo series on German concentration camps as well as studies of Japanese landscapes. His photographs have been shown in over 500 solo exhibitions since 1979.
Photo books by as well as with works by Michael KENNA
- 'Michael Kenna Photographs' (1985); 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1985, 1986); 'Michael Kenna. 1967-86' (1987); 'Night Walk' (1988); 'Michael Kenna' (1990); 'Le Desert de Retz' (1990); 'The Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing' (1991); 'A Twenty Year Retrospective' (1994, 2003); 'The Rouge' (1995); 'Le Notre's Gardens' (1997); 'Monique's Kindergarden' (1997); 'Retrospective' (1998); 'Night Work' (2000); 'Easter Island' (2001); 'Impossible to Forget' (2001); 'Japan' (2003); 'Calais Lace' (2003); 'Retrospective Two' (2004); 'Ratcliffe Power Station' (2004); 'Boarding School' (2005); 'Hokkaido' (2006); 'Montecito Garden' (2007); 'Mont St. Michel' (2007, 2008); 'Recent Travels' (2008); 'Venezia' (2009); 'In Hokkaido' (2009); 'Punta Brava' (2009); 'Retrospective' (2009, 2010); 'Huangshan' (2010, 2011); 'Philosopher's Tree' (2011, 2012); 'Photography. Groundbreaking Moments' (2012); 'A Journey through Asia' (2012); 'Shinan' (2013); 'China' (2014); 'France' (2014, 2015); 'Kussharo Lake Tree' (2015); 'Forms of Japan' (2015, 2022); 'Songs of Lao' (2016); 'Rouge' (2016); 'Confessionali. 2007-2016' (2016); 'Abruzzo' (2017); 'Holga' (2017); 'One Sunday in Beijing / 北京' (2018); 'Huangshan' (2018); 'Rafu' (2018); 'A 45 Year Odyssey' (2018); 'Beyond Architecture' (2019); 'Des Oiseaux' (2019); 'Korea. Part 1' (2019); 'The Po River.' (2020); 'Notre Dame de Paris' (2020); 'St. Joseph's College' (2021); 'Images of the Seventh Day' (2021); 'Northern England 1983-1986' (2021); 'Photographs and Stories' (2023); 'Trees' (2023); 'Flesh of Stone' (2023);
Awards
- 1981: Imogen Cunningham Award, San Francisco, U.S.A;
1987: Award for Art in Public Buildings, California Arts Council Commission, Sacramento, USA;
1989: Award from the Institute for Aesthetic Development, Pasadena, USA;
1996: Golden Saffron Prize, Consuegra, La Mancha, Spain;
2000: Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, Paris;
2003: Honorary Master of Arts, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara, USA;
2013: Hae-sun Lee Photography Award, Photographic Artist Association of Korea, Seoul, Korea;
2016: Special Award for Photographers, Higashikawa, Hokkaido, Japan;
2022: Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, Paris;