This exhibition showcases the work of Yoichi Okamoto, an iconic post-war photographer whose images documented Austria's recovery and cultural rebirth. Featuring a selection from his personal estate, the exhibition highlights his unique perspective on society, politics, art, and culture in the nascent Second Republic of Austria.
The exhibition 'BILD MACHT POLITIK. Yoichi Okamoto. Ikone der Nachkriegsfotografie' (Image Power Politics. Yoichi Okamoto. Icon of Post-War Photography) presents a comprehensive selection of works by the influential American photographer Yoichi Okamoto (1915–1985). Arriving in Europe in spring 1945 as a military photographer, Okamoto became the personal photographer to General Mark W. Clark, the commander of American forces in Austria. His lens captured the post-war period in Austria, focusing on the lives, hopes, and reconstruction efforts of the people, as well as the country's art and culture.
In 2019, the Austrian National Library acquired Okamoto's personal photographic estate, a collection that inspired a generation of photographers in Austria and internationally. This major special exhibition at the Austrian National Library's State Hall offers an extensive display of his images, documenting Austria's visual history from the early days of the Second Republic. Okamoto's oeuvre uniquely captures society, politics, art, and culture, including works he considered his best and most valuable for posterity. The exhibition also sheds light on Austrian-American relations post-1945, a period when Okamoto headed the photo department of the American Information Service in Austria, documenting all Marshall Plan projects.
Okamoto, the son of Japanese immigrants, served in the US Army and met his wife in Vienna. In 1963, he became the official presidential photographer in the White House under Lyndon B. Johnson.