[The man who photographed Andy Warhol] Announcement of solo exhibition by Hirosuke Doi

We will be holding a solo exhibition by photographer Hirosuke Doi, who photographed Andy Warhol, Salvator Dali, Madonna, Joan Gilberto, and others in New York from the 1970s to the 1980s.

(Excerpt from Miraculous Encounter NYC (1971-1986) ~Because I was friends with the camera~)

May 1971 At the age of 30, I went on my first overseas trip in an attempt to break out of the feeling of being stuck after the Osaka World Expo.
Armed with the foreign currency limit at the time of $500 (180,000 yen) and two cameras, he set off across Canada.
Just before his wallet was empty, he jumped into a photo studio in Montreal and miraculously was treated well, but he resigned after about two months.

I drifted ashore in New York, a place I had no intention of going to. This town was a huge theater.
With the help of the only person I knew, I was able to live here, and was lucky enough to be hired as a freelance assistant for Think Groupe, which plans and produces business shows.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and while I was looking for a regular job in the photography field, I heard that there was a group of aspiring photographers in town called ``Freelance Photographer's Assistants'' who were exchanging information.

Being a big city, photographers come from all over the world to interview and take pictures, but since I have no sense of the place, I end up hiring a local assistant to guide me through filming locations and the industry. I made an acquaintance with such a croup.
Then, in March 1974, I received word that a photographer was looking for a part-time assistant and I would like to meet him.

Although I was still having trouble speaking, I mustered up the courage to go for an interview, and it turned out to be Helmut Newton, a master of photography.

After receiving a few simple questions, I received a call the next day offering a job offer. A miracle happened. The request was to do a swimsuit shoot for the fashion page of Playboy's men's magazine ``OUl''.
Since it's still cold in New York, the filming location was planned to be in Haiti, an island in the Caribbean, for a week. He met up with Helmut Newton, AD, and three other models at Kennedy Airport and departed.

Filming at the hotel on the warm island was done using the pool and lobby.
During the shoot, Helmut Newton asked me to be a model, and I also had the chance to appear in a magazine, so it was like a dream job.
From here, my various miracles began.

The trigger was December 2019.
Mr. Doi's solo exhibition was held at an acquaintance's house, and among the many photographs of famous people he saw there, there was a photograph of Andy Warhol.

Brooklyn Museum is a leather brand that was born 45 years ago by taking inspiration from pop art and turning it into a product.

Andy Warhol's color creation method remains the essential essence of our products.
Andy Warhol had a great influence on many creators, including us. Meeting Doi, who photographed him, was a miraculous event for me.

In February 2020, I mustered up the courage to say this, even though I was aware that I was afraid.
“Would you be willing to hold a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum?”

Mr. Doi said, ``I've always wanted to hold a solo exhibition in Omotesando. If you wish, your dream will come true.''
I remember reading this reply and reaffirming the meaning of the phrase "people are born to be moved."

From that day onwards, just as we were thinking, "Okay!", the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Even though we had no choice but to give up, we had the feeling that some day would come, and for the past three years, we had been waiting for that moment, having exchanged letters and sending each other's favorite sweets between Nagano, where Mr. Doi lives, and Tokyo, where we live, and maintaining a heart-to-heart relationship.

And then, October 2023.
We went to Cafe DECO, a coffee factory in Nagano Prefecture that Mr. Doi runs, and shared our joy, saying, ``The time has come!'' and selected photos.

Doi says:
``The reason I've been able to meet unexpected people and see all kinds of scenery is because I've continued to do what I love.
Although he has no honor or status, he has been able to connect with unexpected people through a single connection. It's a chain miracle. ”.

I look forward to creating a wonderful chain of events with everyone at this solo exhibition.

Brooklyn Museum Director
Harumi Naito

We would like to introduce a frame from a talk event held in October 2023 prior to the solo exhibition.

Mr. Doi, who is currently 87 years old, has a very friendly personality. Approximately 50 people attended the event, some of whom came from Hokkaido and Osaka just for the day.

Mr. Doi's conversations with celebrities are full of stories that are like fairy tales. Everyone listened comfortably while enjoying a glass of wine.

We would like to introduce some of the many episodes between Mr. Doi and famous people about "Andy Warhol."

About 50 years ago, there was a magazine called ``Q'' that spotlighted the lifestyles of New York celebrities. It was a time of class in New York, when there were no jeans yet.

Every time I went to a disco for interviews, Warhol was everywhere I went. With your entourage. I think Basquiat was also with him.
Everywhere we go, we cover fashion shows and birthday parties, and we bump into each other on the streets.

I always carried a camera with me, so the other person looked like, ``Ah!''
Warhol always had a strange and mysterious atmosphere about him.
Andy was popular wherever he went. People come over. When our eyes meet, my heart flutters. I felt that that was the charm.

The solo exhibition is scheduled to run until spring 2024.

We would appreciate it if you could take this opportunity to visit us.