One of Japan's most influential photographers, Yutaka Takanashi, is exhibited  in Paris at the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson (to July 29, 2012). Takanashi was one of the co-founders of the legendary avant garde photo magazine group  'Provoke'  known for their grainy, blurry black and white aesthetic.Their work revolutionised Japanese photography at the end of the 1960s.

The exhibition begins with photos from Takanashi's  black and white series 'Toshi-e' (Towards the City) which was originally published by "Provoke" in 1974 as a luxurious two-part volume set. This elaborate publication marked both the high-water mark and the end of the 'Provoke' era.

HCB's second floor gallery is devoted to two color series by the photographer "Machi ca. 1977) and Golden Gai Bars (1982). With the "Machi" photos Takanashi  says he attempted to "débarrasser du poétique." Indeed these color photos taken with a large format camera in the "objective"  documentary  "Atjet" tradition mark a break with his earlier provocative B&W work in the spirit of Robert Frank or Japanese photographers Takuma Nakahira and Daido Moriyama.

Takanashi's turn toward documenting city-scapes with color film in the 70's indeed qualifies him as one of the first photographers anywhere to do so. Says Takanashi about his Machi series "Photos in color are more realistic by their nature. When I photograph using a tripod with long exposures I have a feeling that my ego disappears..."

Yutaka Takanashi, to July 29, 2012, Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, 2 impasse Lebouis, 75014 Paris.,