“Henri Michaux wrote that in India, there was nothing to see, everything had to be interpreted. In Tokyo, I thought the opposite: everything was to be seen, nothing to be interpreted. I would be a Barbarian in Tokyo. How else, what else could I be best at trying to be other than a Barbarian."
~ William Klein (1926-2022)
From Tokyo, 1961
A true fly on the wall Bill was, always anticipating the next moment — a true master of seeing. It’s incredible how many great images came out of one long trip to Tokyo. He was so obsessed with the medium, staying in a long-term apartment hotel with fresh prints always washing and drying in the bathroom. I would have loved to be a fly on his wall.