Steve McCurry is an American photographer who gained international acclaim for his arresting portrait of a young refugee known simply as Afghan Girl.
Originally published on the cover of National Geographic in 1985, the photograph shows a young Pashtun orphan, later identified as Sharbat Gula, who was living in a refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, during the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan. The image is emblematic of McCurry’s work, which has brought him to war zones across the globe. Rather than focusing on the violence of the battlefield, McCurry seeks to capture the human face of conflict, distilling what is universal and recognizable in each portrait.
McCurry was born in Philadelphia and attended Penn State University, graduating cum laude with a degree in theater arts in 1974. After several years working at a newspaper in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, he left to work as a freelancer in India, where he honed his skill for capturing unguarded moments in daily life. Just prior to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, in 1979, he crossed the border from Pakistan into Afghan rebel–controlled territory, wearing native garb to disguise himself, with rolls of film sewn into his clothing. The photographs he took there were among the first in the world to document the conflict, and his work was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal for “photographic reporting from abroad.”
Over the course of his career, McCurry has documented daily life alongside conflicts in Cambodia, the Philippines, the former Yugoslavia, Beirut, Iraq, Afghanistan and Tibet. Though his photos depict serious and sometimes frightening situations, his ability to connect with subjects and capture something of their personalities allows his images to transcend the documentarian distance of wartime journalism. The results are real portraits that happen to be set in tough situations. Welder in a Ship Breaking Yard, Mumbai, India (1994), for instance, reveals only the subject’s eyes, but they’re so intently fixed on McCurry’s lens that they seem to express volumes. Monk Running on Wall (2004) shows a young monk defying gravity as he skitters along an exterior wall of the Shaolin Monastery in Henan, China, over the heads of his friends. Like a Baroque painting, McCurry’s picture captures a moment of dynamic action that reveals something instantly recognizable in a subject from another part of the world.
Find original Steve McCurry photography on 1stDibs.
Man Covered in Powder, Rajasthan, India, 2009 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Man Covered in Powder, Rajasthan, India, 2009 - Steve McCurry Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print Printed on 20 x 24 ...
C Print
Fishermen, Weligama, South Coast, Sri Lanka, 1995
By Steve McCurry
Located in Toronto, ON
4" x 5" Unframed Closed Edition Photograph MAGNUM Photography Hand Signed by Steve McCurry
Archival Paper, C Print, Digital
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura by Steve McCurry, 2014, Digital C-Print
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, which translates to the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, by Steve McCurry depicts a woman standing on a ladder in an extravagant library. She ...
Digital
$12,000
Taj and Train (Horizontal) by Steve McCurry, 1983, Digital C-Print, Photography
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Taj and Train by Steve McCurry is a 20 x 24 inch digital c-print on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss paper, available in an edition of 90. This photograph features two men holding...
Digital
Rabari tribal elder, Rajasthan, India 2010
By Steve McCurry
Located in Toronto, ON
4" x 5" Unframed Closed Edition Photograph MAGNUM Photography Hand Signed by Steve McCurry
Archival Paper, C Print, Digital
Harvest Market by Steve McCurry, 1992, Digital C-Print, Photography
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Harvest Market by Steve McCurry is a 20 x 24 inch digital C-print, printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss Paper. This photograph features a man standing in a market, surround...
Digital
Afghan Women at Shoe Store, Kabul by Steve McCurry, 1992, Digital C-Print
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Afghan Women at Shoe Store, Kabul by Steve McCurry is a 20 x 24 inch digital C-Print, printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss Paper. This photograph features 5 Afghan women at...
Digital
Holi Man by Steve McCurry, 1996, Digital C-Print
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Holi Man by Steve McCurry depicts a group of men during the Hindu festival, Holi. A man covered in green powder lies on his back while a sea of red men lift and carry him. Joyous exp...
Digital
Woman in Canary Burqa by Steve McCurry, 2002, Digital C-Print, Photography
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Woman in Canary Burqa by Steve McCurry is a 24 x 20 inch digital c-print on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss paper, available in an edition of 30. This photograph features a portr...
Digital
Afghan Girl with Hands on Face by Steve McCurry, 1984, Digital C-Print
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Afghan Girl with Hands on Face by Steve McCurry presents a powerful portrait. A young girl with piercing green eyes stares off in the distance. She wears a red scarf around her head ...
Digital Pigment
$7,000
Monk at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2000 - Steve McCurry(Portrait Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Monk at Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, Tibet, 2000 - Steve McCurry(Portrait Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 2014 20 x 24 in...
C Print
$4,000
Widow Exits Restaurant by Steve McCurry, 1992, Digital C-Print, Photography
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Widow Exits Restaurant by Steve McCurry is listed as a 20 x 24 inch digital c-print, available in an edition of 30. This photograph is printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss ...
Digital
Ganesh Chaturthi Festival by Steve McCurry, 1994, Digital C-Print
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Ganesh Chaturthi Festival by Steve McCurry features a mass of people walking into the shallow waters of the sea, as part of their celebration. People gather around a large statue of ...
Digital Pigment
Woman in Black, Yemen
By Steve McCurry
Located in Atlanta, GA
Steve McCurry is an American photographer, freelancer, and photojournalist. His photo Afghan Girl, of a girl with piercing green eyes, has appeared on the cover of National Geographi...
C Print
Shaolin Monks Training by Steve McCurry, 2004 Digital C-Print, Photography
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
Shaolin Monks Training by Steve McCurry is listed as a 20 x 24-inch digital c-print, available in an edition of 30. This photograph is printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Supergloss ...
Digital
Russian Car in Old Havana, Cuba, 2010 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Russian Car in Old Havana, Cuba, 2010 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type p...
C Print
$7,000
Intha Fisherman, Burma, 2011 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Intha Fisherman, Burma, 2011 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches From...
C Print
Young Man Walks Behind Elephant, Sri Lanka, 1995 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Young Man Walks Behind Elephant, Sri Lanka, 1995 - Steve McCurry Signed and numbered on photographer’s edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 24 x 20 inches Edition of 30 Al...
C Print
A Villager Participating in the Festival of Holi, Rajasthan, India, 1996
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
A Villager Participating in the Festival of Holi, Rajasthan, India, 1996 Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type p...
C Print
$7,000
Chand Baori Stepwell, Rajasthan, India, 2016 - Steve McCurry(Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Chand Baori Stepwell, Rajasthan, India, 2016 - Steve McCurry(Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer’s edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches, ...
C Print
Bicycles on Side of Train, India, 1983 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Bicycles on Side of Train, India, 1983 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer’s edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Editio...
C Print
Mother and Child at Car Window, Bombay, India, 1993 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Mother and Child at Car Window, Bombay, India, 1993 - Steve McCurry Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type Printed on 20 x 24 ...
C Print
$7,000
Rabari Tribal Elder, Rajasthan, India, 2010 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Rabari Tribal Elder, Rajasthan, India, 2010 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print ...
C Print
Boats on the Sulu Sea, Philippines, 1985 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Boats on the Sulu Sea, Philippines, 1985 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Edi...
C Print
Train Station, Agra, India - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Train Station, Agra, India - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print, printed 2014 20 x 24 inches From ...
C Print
$5,500
Camel Caravan, Southern Afghanistan, 1980 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Camel Caravan, Southern Afghanistan, 1980 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital C-typ...
C Print
Stepwell, India, 2002 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Stepwell, India, 2002 - Steve McCurry (Colour Landscape Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches ...
C Print
Venice Reflections
By Steve McCurry
Located in Greenwich, CT
Man walking along the canals of Venice Edition of 15
Archival Pigment
Mingun Pagoda, Mandalay, Burma, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Mingun Pagoda, Mandalay, Burma, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed, affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inch...
C Print
Colourful Prayer Flags, Tibet, 2005 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Colourful Prayer Flags, Tibet, 2005 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 in...
C Print
Moonrise in Mumbai, India, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Moonrise in Mumbai, India, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type...
C Print
Afghan Girl Hiding Her Face, Peshawar, Pakistan, 1984 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Signed and numbered on photographer’s edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 24 x 20 inches Edition of 90 Steve McCurry (born 1950) is best known for his evocative colour ...
C Print
Boys Run With Hoops, Baobab Avenue, Morondava, Madagascar, 2019
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Boys Run With Hoops, Baobab Avenue, Morondava, Madagascar, 2019 Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital C-type print Available in three sizes: 20 x ...
Digital
Shaolin Monks Training, Zhengzhou, China, 2004 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Shaolin Monks Training, Zhengzhou, China, 2004 - Steve McCurry Signed, affixed with artist's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches, edition of 3...
C Print
Red Boy, Holi Festival, Mumbai, India, 1996 - Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Steve McCurry Red Boy, Holi Festival, Mumbai, India, 1996 - Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-typ...
C Print
Girl in New Coat, Xigaze, Tibet, 2001 - Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Girl in New Coat, Xigaze, Tibet, 2001 - Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital C-type print 20 x 24 inches Edition of ...
C Print
$6,500
Salat at Blue Mosque in Mazar-E-Sharif, 1992 - Steve McCurry(Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Salat at Blue Mosque in Mazar-E-Sharif, 1992 - Steve McCurry(Colour Photography) Signed, affixed with artist's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inc...
C Print
$8,500
Rabari Shepherd, Rajasthan, India, 2009 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Rabari Shepherd, Rajasthan, India, 2009 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches, edition of 30 30 x 40 inches, edition of 15 40 x 60 inches, edition of 10 Steve McCurry (born 1950) is best known for his evocative colour photographs that document both human struggles and joy. Having travelled the globe for over thirty years, McCurry has photographed warzones, burning oil fields, refugee camps, ship breaking yards and monsoons all over the world. A member of Magnum Photos...
C Print
$7,000
Geisha in Subway, Kyoto, Japan, 200 -Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Geisha in Subway, Kyoto, Japan, 200 -Steve McCurry (Colour Portrait Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print 20...
C Print
Market Vendors on Dal Lake, Kashmir, 1999 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Market Vendors on Dal Lake, Kashmir, 1999 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Ed...
C Print
Teeth Maker in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1998 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Teeth Maker in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 1998 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer’s edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 24 x 20 inches 3...
C Print
A coffee farmer prays alone in an empty church by Steve McCurry, 2012
By Steve McCurry
Located in Denton, TX
A coffee farmer prays alone in an empty church by Steve McCurry depicts a man sitting by himself on a bench, kneeling over with his hands in prayer. Light pours in from the open door...
Digital
$5,500
Ship Breaking Yard, Karachi, Pakistan, 1985 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Ship Breaking Yard, Karachi, Pakistan, 1985 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital C-Type print 20 x 24 inches ...
C Print
Blue Mosque, Mazar I Sharif, Afghanistan, 1991 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Blue Mosque, Mazar I Sharif, Afghanistan, 1991 - Steve McCurry Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Edition of 60 ...
C Print
Clover Gatherers in Wadi Hadramawt, Yemen, 1999 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Clover Gatherers in Wadi Hadramawt, Yemen, 1999 - Steve McCurry Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print Printed on 20 x 24 inch paper Edi...
C Print
$4,000
Family Rides Donkey, Afghanistan, 2003 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Family Rides Donkey, Afghanistan, 2003 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Edit...
C Print
Monsoon Flora, 1985
By Steve McCurry
Located in Atlanta, GA
Steve McCurry is an American photographer, freelancer, and photojournalist. His photo Afghan Girl, of a girl with piercing green eyes, has appeared on the cover of National Geographi...
C Print
Dust Storm, 1983
By Steve McCurry
Located in Atlanta, GA
Steve McCurry is an American photographer, freelancer, and photojournalist. His photo Afghan Girl, of a girl with piercing green eyes, has appeared on the cover of National Geographi...
C Print
Boat Covered in Snow in Sankei-En Gardens, Japan, 2014 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Boat Covered in Snow in Sankei-En Gardens, Japan, 2014 - Steve McCurry Signed and affixed with artist's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print Printed on 20 x 2...
C Print
Afghan Women at Shoe Store, Kabul, Afghanistan, 1992
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Afghan Women at Shoe Store, Kabul, Afghanistan, 1992 Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print Prin...
C Print
$8,500
Procession of Nuns, Rangoon, Burma, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Procession of Nuns, Rangoon, Burma, 1994 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed, and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on ...
C Print
Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2019 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2019 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital C-type print 20 x 24 inches Edition of 30 Al...
Digital
Man in Bamiyan Mosque, 2006 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Man in Bamiyan Mosque, 2006 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Digital c-type print Printed on 20 x ...
C Print
Pigeon Feeding Near Blue Mosque, 1991 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Pigeon Feeding Near Blue Mosque, 1991 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches Editi...
C Print
Mujahideen Stand Atop a Mountain in the Hindu Kush, 1984 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Mujahideen Stand Atop a Mountain in the Hindu Kush, 1984 - Steve McCurry Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type pri...
C Print
Opera Singers, Hong Kong
By Steve McCurry
Located in Greenwich, CT
Opera singers in Hong Kong, China. Edition of 30
Archival Pigment
Candy Factory Worker, 2006
By Steve McCurry
Located in Atlanta, GA
Steve McCurry is an American photographer, freelancer, and photojournalist. His photo Afghan Girl, of a girl with piercing green eyes, has appeared on the cover of National Geographi...
C Print
Price Upon Request
Mahout and His Elephant, Chiang Mai, Thailand
By Steve McCurry
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 30 Please inquire for additional sizes. Steve McCurry Biography American, b. 1950 Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic figures in contemporary photography for m...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Hazrat Ali Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan
By Steve McCurry
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 10 Please inquire for additional sizes Steve McCurry Biography American, b. 1950 Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic figures in contemporary photography for mo...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
Girl with Green Shawl, Peshawar, Pakistan
By Steve McCurry
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 60 Steve McCurry Biography American, b. 1950 Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic figures in contemporary photography for more than five decades. Born in Philad...
Archival Pigment