Firstly, don’t be put off by the title… the text of Romain Thiery’s new book is written in both French and English.
Romain Thiery is both a fine-art photographer and a pianist, and over the past ten years he has discovered and photographed over 100 abandoned and decomposing pianos across Europe, the United States and now Japan.
The images Thiery captures are quite amazing. The pianos, often found in sumptuous but decaying surroundings, have just been left to rot, and the sad brokenness of these instruments induces even more emotional impact.
Thiery’s remarkable photographs have been published in three previous tomes, Requiem Pour Pianos (Europe), À la Recherche de L’instrument Roi (Europe), and the Livre d’Art Requiem Pour Pianos (Europe and US). The images are also available as individual high-quality prints, and regularly appear at special art exhibitions (see below).
Les Pianos du Silence – Voyage au Japon chronicles two extensive expeditions taken by Thiery in April 2025 and February/March 2026. In the process of collecting these images, Thiery visited some 14 different locations in Japan, from Kagoshima (Kyushu) in the south to the northern part of Hokkaido. He covered over 4000 kilometres. The pianos were both meticulously photographed and, where possible, their unique broken acoustics were captured through audio recordings.
The venues ranged from an old imperial hotel to an abandoned luxury resort, from a golf and country club to several elementary and family schools. Thiery highlights the surprising fact that these properties have been left pretty much untouched with many of the fixtures and fittings often still in place. Some of the pianos (Yamaha and Kawai grands) were expensive instruments, and just left to perish.
In previous publications, Thiery has let the photographs speak for themselves. However, this book is a bit more of a travel diary, detailing the often gruelling journeys to the various sites and Thiery’s reactions on encountering the instruments. How Thiery finds these pianos in the first place, however, isn’t fully revealed.
By treating these pianos as dignified, sleeping entities holding onto years of lost music, Thiery prompts the viewer to slow down and reflect. The physical decay of the instruments, often shocking, adds the extra dimension. These instruments have been left in total silence, isolated, with no-one to play them, and nature engulfing them. Yet their visual impact speaks volumes.
Book Specifications:
Title: Les Pianos du Silence — Voyage au Japon
ISBN: 978-2-9575420-1-7
Author: Romain Thiery
Texts: Romain Thiery
Photography: Romain Thiery
Dimensions: 200×250 mm
Binding: Softcover flat-opening
No. Of Pages: 136
Price: €35.00 (approx $40.00)
Website: romainthiery.fr
Film and Exhibition
Thiery has also produced a film and an exhibition linked to the Les Pianos du Silence — Voyage au Japon project.
The captivating documentary is available to stream online and captures the work and process involved in photographing and recording these lost and forgotten pianos.
An exhibition, based on Thiery’s Japanese quest featuring more than 30 of his works, is running at Valmagne Abbey (34560 Villeveyrac) in the south of France until September 30, 2026. The Abbey mirrors Japan’s tranquillity, and the diverse images and installations, some exceeding four metres wide, seamlessly blend into the architecture creating a truly immersive experience for visitors.
Website: Exposition À L’Abbaye de Valmagne
Award
Romain Thiery won the prestigious Professional Architecture Photographer of the Year title at the International Photography Awards 2025.