Even as Mr. Ren rose to international fame, his photos retained a found-on-the-street quality, as if the viewer had stumbled upon a bunch of pictures taken by someone just messing around with his friends.

But because of the sexually explicit nature of his work, Mr. Ren often ran into problems with the authorities in China, which maintains strict prohibitions on pornographic images. In a 2013 interview with Vice Japan, he recalled having one exhibition in China shut down by censors on “suspicion of sex.” He was also arrested several times for shooting nude photos outdoors — once, he said, in the name of “group licentiousness.”

His numerous encounters with the authorities led many to draw comparisons to other subversive artists, most notably Ai Weiwei, the Chinese activist and provocateur. But Mr. Ren resisted such comparisons, stating over and over in interviews that his photos were never meant to be political and emphasizing instead his deep connection to China and to Chinese culture.

“I don’t really view my work as taboo, because I don’t think so much in cultural context or political context,” he told Taschen. “I don’t intentionally push boundaries. I just do what I do.”