11:02 Nagasaki
Shomei Tomatsu believed that Nagasaki has two times: August 9, 1945, at 11:02 a.m. (when the atomic bomb exploded) and the time since then during which the suffering continued. "Both times must not be forgotten," he wrote. With its iconic cover featuring the artist’s photograph of a stopped wristwatch, the book chronicles the immediate and longterm aftermath of the disaster. Tomatsu records the faces of victims with disfiguring keloid scars, melted glass bottles in distorted shapes, and, in painful opposition, views of the city’s postwar prosperity.
Artwork Details
- Title: 11:02 Nagasaki
- Artist: Shomei Tomatsu (Japanese, Aichi, Nagoya 1930–2012 Naha, Okinawa)
- Date: 1966
- Dimensions: With slipcover: 9 1/4 × 7 7/8 × 1 in. (23.5 × 20 × 2.5 cm)
- Classification: Books
- Credit Line: Gift of Mary Ann and Frank B. Arisman, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2020
- Object Number: JFMPL.Arisman.2020.179
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.