Persona, Exhibition of Graphic Design in Tokyo, 1965 [Ikko Tanaka]

Persona, Exhibition of Graphic Design in Tokyo 1965, Masaru Katsumie, 1965. 1st. ed., Tokyo, Japan. 7.875 x 8, n.p. [72 plus wrappers] with Japanese text only. Designed, perhaps, by Ikko Tanaka.

Rare. Organized by Masaru Katsumie (with assistance from Ikko Tanaka) and held at the Matsuya Ginza department store in Tokyo, Japan for only six days from Nov. 12-17, 1965. Persona was an important exhibition during the still formative years of Japanese graphic design — it objecting to the increasing impersonality of design and emphasized individuality in design work; raising new questions such as: what is graphic design and its' relationship with society?

Persona featured the second, younger generation coupled with the more established names including a total of (16) designers: Kiyoshi Awazu, Fukuda Shigeo, Gan Hosoya, Toshihiro Katayama, Mitsuo Katsui, Tsunehisa Kimura, Nagai Kazumasa, Ikko Tanaka, Akira Uno, Makoto Wada, Tadanori Yokoo, Yusaku Kamekura, and Paul Davis, Louis Dorfsman, Karl Gerstner and Jan Lenica — the last four Tanaka had met and admired during his travels between 1960–1965.

Catalog features an introduction by Masaru Katsumie and a list of supporting companies and organizations. With individual designer text (some written by others including: Saul Bass on Kamekura and Tanaka on Davis); a list of works displayed, excellent black and white portraits and (1) illustrated design examples for each. There are (14) full-page trade advertisements towards the back.

A fine softcover exhibition catalog with only a hint of soiling to the orange paper front cover. Unusually rare in the United States. Highly recommended!