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Steve McCurry Black and White Photography

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.

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Artist: Steve McCurry
Young Mujahideen on Swing, 1980 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography)
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Young Mujahideen on Swing, 1980 - Steve McCurry (Colour Photography) Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches From an edit...
Category

1980s Steve McCurry Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

Mujahideen Leader Speaks to Fighters, Afghanistan, 1980 - Steve McCurry
By Steve McCurry
Located in London, GB
Mujahideen Leader Speaks to Fighters, Afghanistan, 1980 - Steve McCurry Signed and numbered on photographer's edition label on reverse Digital c-type print 20 x 24 inches From an ed...
Category

1980s Steve McCurry Black and White Photography

Materials

Silver Gelatin

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Steve Mccurry black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Steve McCurry black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Steve McCurry in silver gelatin print and more. Not every interior allows for large Steve McCurry black and white photography, so small editions measuring 20 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of George Dureau, Paul Garrin, and George Krause. Steve McCurry black and white photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,000 and tops out at $5,500, while the average work can sell for $4,000.
Questions About Steve McCurry Black and White Photography
  • 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.

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