Skip to main content

Steve McCurry Art

American, b. 1950

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.

to
21
12
8
16
1
3
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
19
18
10
10
8
5
5
5
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
7
14
2
5
273
1,784
744
116
108
21
Artist: Steve McCurry
Dealer: International Fine Arts Consortium - IFAC Arts
Steve McCurry 'Afghan Girl'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Afghan Girl 1984 (printed later C-print on Fuji Crystal archival paper 24 x 20 inches Signed and dated Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contempo...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Moonrise in Mumbai'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Moonrise in Mumbai, 1994 C-print 20x24 inches Edition of 30 Also available in 30x40 edition of 15 40x60 edition of 10
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Afghan Nomad Girl'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Afghan Nomad Girl 1990 C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 60 x 40 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate of authenticity Steve McCurry...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Shaolin Monks Training. Zhengzhou. China
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Shaolin Monks Training. Zhengzhou. China, 2004 c print 20 x 24 inches edition of 30 Shaolin monks training Kung Fu from Shaolin Monastery takes martial arts to a brand new level. ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Girl with Green Shawl'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Girl with Green Shawl 2002 C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 24 x 20 inches Signed and numbered edition of 44 of 60 with cert...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Boys Play with Hoops'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Boys Play with Hoops 2019 C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 60 x 40 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Kathmandu Valley Harvest'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 20 x 24 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate of authenticity Steve McCurry (American, b.1950) is ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Woman enters Medieval Rock-Hewn Church'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 30 x 40 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate of authenticity Steve McCurry (American, b.1950) is ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Hilltop View of Chefchaouen'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 40 x 60 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate of authenticity Steve McCurry (American, b.1950) is ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Steve McCurry 'Afghan Nomad Girl'
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Afghan Nomad Girl 1990 C-Prints printed on FujiFlex Crystal Archive Super Gloss Paper 60 x 40 inches Signed and numbered edition of 10 with certificate of authenticity Steve McCurry...
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Moonrise in Mumbai
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Moonrise in Mumbai, 1994 Printed Later C-print 20x24 inches Edition of 30 Also available in 30x40 edition of 15 40x60 edition of 10
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Moonrise in Mumbai
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Moonrise in Mumbai, 1994 C-print 20x24 inches Edition of 30 Also available in 30x40 edition of 15 40x60 edition of 10
Category

1990s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Man and Taj Reflection
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Man and Taj Reflection, 1999 20x24 inch edition of 30 Also available in 30x40 inch edition of 15 40x60 inch edition of 10
Category

1990s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Shaolin Monks Training. Zhengzhou. China
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Shaolin Monks Training. Zhengzhou. China, 2004 c print 20 x 24 inches edition of 30 Shaolin monks training Kung Fu from Shaolin Monastery takes martial arts to a brand new level. ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Woman At A Horse Festival, Tagong, Tibet
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Woman At A Horse Festival, Tagong, Tibet, 1999 c print 24 x 20 inches edition of 30 signed and numbered on label on verso Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in co...
Category

1990s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Woman in Canary Burqa
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Woman in Canary Burqa, 2002 C-print 20x24 inches Edition of 30 Also available in 30x40 edition of 15 40x60 edition of 10
Category

2010s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Tibetan Prayer Flags, Tibet
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Tibetan Prayer Flags, Tibet, 2005 c print 24 x 20 inches edition of 30 signed and numbered on label on verso Steve McCurry has been one of the ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Woman At A Horse Festival, Tagong, Tibet
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Woman At A Horse Festival, Tagong, Tibet, 1999 c print 24 x 20 inches edition of 30 signed and numbered on label on verso Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in co...
Category

1990s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Rabari Shepard, Rajstan, India
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
RABARI SHEPHERD, RAJASTHAN, INDIA, 2009 Digital Colour C-Type 20 × 24 in; 50.8 × 61 cm Edition of 30 Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Holi Festival, Rajasthan, India
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Holi Festival, Rajasthan, India C-print 20 x 24 inch paper edition of 30 Signed and affixed with photographer's edition label and numbered on reverse Steve McCurry has been one of t...
Category

1990s Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Afghan Girl (Peshawar, Pakistan)
By Steve McCurry
Located in New York, NY
Steve McCurry Afghan Girl 1984 (printed later C-print on Fuji Crystal archival paper 24 x 20 inches Signed and dated Steve McCurry has been one of the mos...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Related Items
Massimo Listri Biblioteca di Sainte Genevieve Paris France 2016 C-print Ed 5/5
By Massimo Listri
Located in London, GB
C-Print mounted on aluminum and framed. Edition of 5 Signed, numbered and titled on label. Various sizes available. 120 x 100 cm (47,2'' x 39,3'' Inches) - € 12.500 150 x 120 cm (5...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Iconic Aarons Estate Photograph of Surrealist Salvador Dali: 'Take It'
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
September 1970: With some of his mystical artwork at Port Ligat, Costa Brava, painter Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989) in a characteristic pose with his trademark walking-stick in vibrant purple dress. In the background, the magical, mysterious, artistic and alchemical mix, with white and sepia-toned curtains and classic photographs on display. The vintage and classic mingles with the bizarre and strange in this historic photograph of an avant-garde legend. Salvador Dali: Take It, 1970 Slim Aarons Estate Edition Photograph Lambda Print Estate Embossed with 2 Certificates of Authenticity Printed Later 4 sizes available Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquess of Dalí de Púbol gcYC (/ˈdɑːli, dɑːˈliː/;[1] Catalan: [səlβəˈðo ðəˈli]; Spanish: [salβaˈðoɾ ðaˈli];[2] 11 May 1904 – 23 January 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work. Born in Figueres, Catalonia, Dalí received his formal education in fine arts in Madrid. Influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters from a young age, he became increasingly attracted to Cubism and avant-garde movements. He moved closer to Surrealism in the late 1920s and joined the Surrealist group in 1929, soon becoming one of its leading exponents. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931, and is one of the most famous Surrealist paintings. Dalí lived in France throughout the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) before leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved commercial success. He returned to Spain in 1948 where he announced his return to the Catholic faith and developed his "nuclear mysticism" style, based on his interest in classicism, mysticism, and recent scientific developments. Dalí's artistic repertoire included painting, graphic arts, film, sculpture, design and photography, at times in collaboration with other artists. He also wrote fiction, poetry, autobiography, essays and criticism. Major themes in his work include dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships. To the dismay of those who held his work in high regard, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric and ostentatious public behavior often drew more attention than his artwork. His public support for the Francoist regime, his commercial activities and the quality and authenticity of some of his late works have also been controversial. His life and work were an important influence on other Surrealists, pop art and contemporary artists such as Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. There are two major museums devoted to Salvador Dalí's work: the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain, and the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Over the course of a career lasting half a century, Slim Aarons (1916-2006) portrayed high society, aristocracy, authors, artists, business icons, the celebrated and their milieu. In doing so, he captured a golden age of wealth, privilege, beauty and leisure that occurred alongside—but quite separate from—the cultural and political backdrop of the second half of the Twentieth Century. The Slim Aarons Estate has released the limited Estate edition as a Lambda print, which is a modern c-type prints. They have chosen Lambda prints for their sharpness, clarity, colour saturation and quality, compared to archival inkjet prints. Lambda printing gives true continuous tone. Photograph is unframed Slide show includes a close-up of the Slim Aarons estate's stamp. Collector will get the next number in the edition * We are pleased to offer the entire archive of the Slim Aarons Estate, offering the official Slim Aarons Estate Edition (only offered in this edition of 150). Please contact us for additional photographs from Slim Aarons * Internal: Vintage Slim Aarons, Vintage Salvador...
Category

1970s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

Curtain
By Keith Sharp
Located in Hudson, NY
Listing is for UNFRAMED print. Inquire within for framing. Edition 1 of 15. If the exhibition piece is sold or the customer orders a different print size, the photograph is p...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
August 1980: In Spanish style riding clothes from l to r; TRH Princess Rajwa Ali, Princess Basma Ali and Prince Bin Ali. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Editi...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

Hotel on Lake Como, Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The swimming pool and jetty at the Villa d'Este Hotel, Lake Como, Italy, June 1983 Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity included Numbered and stamped by the Slim ...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

French Bath
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Joyce Pallardy relaxes at the Villa Macopa, the home of Mrs Andre Hammel in St Tropez, August 1977. Complimentary dealer shipping to your framer, worldwide. Undercurrent Projects i...
Category

1970s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Cocteau Collector, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
August 1982: Art collector Sylvia Coca sits in front of one of Jean Cocteau's murals in Marbella. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Auth...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

Domingo In Salzburg, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo in the back of a car at Mozartplatz in Salzburg, in front of the Mozart memorial, August 1981. Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Authenticity ...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
August 1980: In Spanish style riding clothes from l to r; TRH Princess Rajwa Ali, Princess Basma Ali and Prince Bin Ali. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Editi...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

La Valeur de la vie (Créteil) - Contemporary City Landscape Digital Photography
By Hubert Blanz
Located in Vienna, AT
La Valeur de la vie - Contemporary City Landscape Digital Photography Creteil Edition 2/3 + 1 AP Print is unframed and comes with a sticker signed by the artist Hubert Blanz's artis...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Steve McCurry Art

Materials

C Print

Cocteau Collector, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
August 1982: Art collector Sylvia Coca sits in front of one of Jean Cocteau's murals in Marbella. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Edition, Certificate of Auth...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

The Ali Children, Slim Aarons Estate Edition
By Slim Aarons
Located in Los Angeles, CA
August 1980: In Spanish style riding clothes from l to r; TRH Princess Rajwa Ali, Princess Basma Ali and Prince Bin Ali. (Photo by Slim Aarons/Getty Images) Slim Aarons Estate Editi...
Category

1980s Realist Steve McCurry Art

Materials

Lambda

Steve Mccurry art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Steve McCurry art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, red, orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Steve McCurry in c print, pigment print, archival pigment print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Steve McCurry art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Patty Carroll, Maggie Taylor, and Andrew Moore. Steve McCurry art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $750 and tops out at $125,000, while the average work can sell for $5,500.
Questions About Steve McCurry Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Art photographer Steve McCurry is known for his close-up images of peoples faces, often termed a headshot. McCurry has traveled the globe, capturing conflicts, traditional cultures and scenes from contemporary society. His work often features bright colors in the center of the image, drawing the eye directly to his subject. Shop a selection of Steve McCurry pieces from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMay 3, 2024
    Opinions vary as to what is Steve McCurry's best work. Undoubtedly, his most easily recognizable piece is Afghan Girl, a photograph that he took in 1984 that became a symbol of the suffering of refugees during the Soviet-Afghan War. Other works that could be thought of as among his best include Camels Under a Blackened Sky (1991), Man at the Holi Festival in Rajasthan (1996), Sri Lankan Fisherman (1995) and Shaolin Monastery (2004). On 1stDibs, find a range of Steve McCurry art.

Recently Viewed

View All