The "Steve McCurry: Regards" exhibition in Aix-en-Provence is a unique opportunity to plunge into the world of this immense photographer and discover his poignant view of humanity and the world's cultures.

Steve McCurry. India. Women protecting themselves from a dust storm in Rajasthan, 1983.
Steve McCurry. India. Women protecting themselves from a dust storm in Rajasthan, 1983.

Steve McCurry, born in Philadelphia in 1950, is an American photographer renowned for his striking images that capture the essence of the human soul. After graduating with a degree in film, he quickly turned to photography, making a name for himself in 1979 by bringing back clandestine images of the war in Afghanistan. Afghanistan played a crucial role in Steve McCurry's career, bringing him to international attention. In 1979, he met Afghan refugees in northern Pakistan. They asked the photographer to follow them to document the civil war raging in their country. His photographs were published all over the world, including on the front page of the New York Times, and won him the Robert Capa Gold Medal. This recognition enabled the photographer to document the living conditions of different peoples around the world throughout his career. The famous portrait of the green-eyed "Afghan girl", Sharbat Gula, photographed in 1984 in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan, was published in 1985 on the cover of National Geographic. This photograph became an absolute icon of world photography, and established its author as one of the world's leading photographers.

Testimonies on humanity

India. Rajasthan. Holi festival in Jaipur. Steve McCurry, 1996.
India. Rajasthan. Holi festival in Jaipur. Steve McCurry, 1996.

Over the course of his career, McCurry has travelled to more than 30 countries, documenting conflicts, cultures and traditions with a humanistic approach and a remarkable mastery of colour and composition. He has immortalised faces and landscapes of both documentary and artistic value. McCurry has taken a great interest in Buddhism and Hinduism. Spirituality and places of worship occupy an important place in his work. His photographs of temples, mosques, monasteries and other sacred sites around the world convey the serenity that pervades these places.
Describing himself as a "visual storyteller", McCurry has been awarded a number of prestigious prizes, including the Robert Capa Medal and the World Press Photo Award.

The look of childhood

Cambodia. Angkor Wat. Children using plastic bags to protect themselves from the rain. Steve McCurry.
Cambodia. Angkor Wat. Children using plastic bags to protect themselves from the rain. Steve McCurry, 1998.

Steve McCurry has photographed many children over the course of his career, and this reflects his deep interest in humanity in all its diversity and authenticity. His inclination to capture images of children can be explained by the fact that they embody innocence and vulnerability, universal qualities that transcend cultural and social boundaries. His photographs, taken in contexts as varied as the streets of India, the villages of Africa and the refugee camps of the Middle East, reveal an unparalleled emotional depth. McCurry uses their images to capture the essence of humanity in its purest form. In his photographs, children often appear at the heart of complex situations, such as war or the displacement of populations. They become symbols of the impact of these events on the most vulnerable, drawing the world?s attention to these realities. Children express their emotions more spontaneously and authentically than adults. This authenticity allows McCurry to create poignant, moving images that invite the viewer to feel empathy for realities that are sometimes far removed.

Japan. Geisha in the Tokyo underground. Steve McCurry, 2007.
Japan. Geisha in the Tokyo underground. Steve McCurry, 2007.

This retrospective brings together 80 of the photographer's most emblematic works, as well as recent images never before seen in France. Visitors can discover intense portraits and landscapes captured during his many travels, from India to Japan, via Pakistan and South-East Asia. The exhibition takes an innovative thematic approach, including McCurry's fascination with the monsoon, a subject rarely explored before. He manages to capture the power of this phenomenon, while highlighting human resilience and adaptation in the face of nature?s wrath. An immersive projection closes the visit, paying tribute to the artist's humanist vision of the beauty of the world.


Hôtel de Caumont-Centre d?Art
3, rue Joseph Cabassol - 13100 Aix-en-Provence Opening times
Caumont - Centre d?Art is open every day. Exhibition from 8 November 2024 to 23 March 2025: 10am-6pm with last admission 30 minutes before closing. Guided tours of the exhibition are available in French on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 4pm. Reservations can be made online on the Centre d'Art website.

Text : Brigitte Postel
Photos : Steve McCurry