Skip to content

Steve McCurry: Compassionate Vision

December 1 – February 29, 2012

The Paul Paletti Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibit of work by world renowned documentary photographer, Steve McCurry.

Afghan Girl, by Steve McCurry, which appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in 1985, is probably the most famous photograph in the world. But this iconic image is not alone in showing McCurry’s compassionate vision. “Most of my images are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face,” McCurry has stated.

In addition to his haunting and compelling portraits, McCurry has also photographed in many areas of international and civil conflict, including the Iran-Iraq war, the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Gulf War, and Afghanistan. McCurry’s passion for his subjects and their conditions is shown not only through his portraits, but also in his actions. He founded Imagine Asia, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in rural Asian communities by addressing fundamental education and healthcare needs.

McCurry, a member of Magnum since 1986, was the recipient of an unprecedented four first prizes from the World Press Photo contest. He has also been awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad, an award dedicated to photographers exhibiting exceptional courage and enterprise. The National Press Photographers’ Association awarded him the Magazine Photographer of the Year, and he has twice won the Olivier Rebbot Award for best photographic reporting abroad.

Featured in countless exhibitions around the world, McCurry’s work is best known through magazine publications, most notably, National Geographic. McCurry’s books include The Unguarded Moment (2009), In the Shadows of Mountains (2007), Looking East (2006), Steve McCurry (2005), The Path to Buddha: A Tibetan Pilgrimage (2003), Sanctuary (2002), South Southeast (2000), Portraits (1999), Monsoon (1988), and The Imperial Way (1985).