The tumultuous period following World War II proved fertile ground for a generation of Japanese photographers who responded to societal upheaval by creating a new visual language dubbed "Are, Bure, Boke" — rough, blurred, and out of focus. Named for the magazine Provoke, which sought to break the rules of traditional photography, this exhibition traces how Japanese photographers responded to their country's shifting social and political atmosphere. Showcasing photographers like Masahisa Fukase, Eikoh Hosoe, Daido Moriyama, and Shomei Tomatsu, the works in this collection all come from the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which holds one of the preeminent collections of Japanese photography in the United States.

The Provoke Era: Japanese Photography from the Collection of SFMOMA is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is made possible by the James Irvine Foundation, Bank of America, and The Japan Foundation.

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