Skip to content

Biography

Sebastião Salgado (b. 1944) is a Brazilian-born photographer and artist-activist based in Paris. He has made it his life’s work to document the impact of globalization on humankind. His hauntingly beautiful black-and-white prints lay bare some of the bleakest moments of modern history, telling the story of Vietnamese boat people, Rwandan refugees, Indian coffee growers, and countless other impoverished individuals. For his most recent project, Amazonia, he spent six years in Brazil’s Amazon photographing its landscape and people.

 

Over the past three decades, Salgado has traveled to more than 100 countries. Breaking down barriers, he lives with his subjects for weeks, immersing himself in their environments. He sees himself as a participant entering their story. Salgado describes this approach as photographing from inside the circle. Each of his images is infused with empathy and respect for his subjects. Within a single frame, he captures the fragility and the fortitude of the human spirit.

 

Sebastião Salgado was born in Aimorés, in the state of Minas Gerais, in what was a period of upheaval and change. Brazil was swept by urbanization and close to 80 percent of the population left the fields and poured into the cities. In 1963, Salgado moved to São Paulo and trained as an economist. It was not until the early 1970s, after his wife, Lélia Wanick Salgado, loaned him a camera, that he embarked on a career as a photographer, eventually relocating to France. Salgado says given his childhood and background in economics that it was only natural that he become a photographer gravitating toward humanistic themes.

 

Salgado has had numerous exhibitions in major museums across the globe. Among his many honors, Salgado has been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and an honorary member of the Academy of the Arts and Sciences in the United States. He has twice been named photographer of the year by the International Center of Photography and in 2019 he was the first photographer honored with the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.  Most recently, the World Economic Forum announced Salgado as the 2021 winner of the 27th Annual Crystal Award for his leadership in addressing inequality and sustainability.

 

 Since the 1990s, Salgado and Lélia Wanick Salgado have been restoring a portion of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. In 1998 they founded the non-profit Instituto Terra, an organization focused on reforestation and environmental education. In September 2022 Sotheby’s held its first social impact fundraising gala in New York in support of Salgado’s work. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the accompanying exhibition and auction of Salgado’s work were devoted to Instituto Terra.

Sebastião Salgado
SINGAPORE
Sebastião Salgado
Artist / Activist November 16 – December 21, 2024
Sebastião Salgado
NEW YORK
Sebastião Salgado
Amazônia June 15 – July 15, 2023
Sebastião Salgado
NY | MADISON AVE
Sebastião Salgado
January 22 – May 15, 2021
Sebastião Salgado
NY | MADISON AVENUE
Sebastião Salgado
Landscapes, 2004 – 2018 November 1, 2018 – January 12, 2019
Sebastião Salgado
NY | CHELSEA
Sebastião Salgado
Landscapes, 2004 – 2018 October 11 – November 10, 2018
Sebastião Salgado
NY | Madison Avenue
Sebastião Salgado
Selections from Genesis April 1 – May 31, 2017
Sebastião Salgado
NY | Chelsea
Sebastião Salgado
Kuwait March 30 – April 29, 2017
Sebastião Salgado
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Sebastião Salgado
The World Through His Eyes February 8 – March 8, 2017
Sebastião Salgado
NY | Chelsea
Sebastião Salgado
April 2 – May 27, 2015
Sebastião Salgado
Hong Kong
Sebastião Salgado
October 15, 2014 – January 31, 2015
Sebastião Salgado
Singapore
Sebastião Salgado
May 20 – August 3, 2014
Sebastião Salgado
HONG KONG
Sebastião Salgado
The Global Photographer May 24 – June 25, 2011
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
Artist / Activist
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
Amazônia
Sebastião Saglado
Publication
Sebastião Saglado
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
Landscapes, 2004 – 2018
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
The World Through His Eyes
Sebastiao Salgado
Publication
Sebastiao Salgado
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
Sebastião Salgado
Publication
Sebastião Salgado
Sebastiao Salgado
Publication
Sebastiao Salgado
The Global Photographer
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Book Signing
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Sebastião Salgado The World Through His Eyes February 9, 2017, 4 PM
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Opening Reception
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre
Sebastião Salgado The World Through His Eyes February 8, 2017, 6:30 PM
Manila
Museum Exhibition
Manila
The World We Live In at Ayala Museum February 17, 2016
Work by Sebastião Salgado on View at Somerset House in London
EXHIBITION
Work by Sebastião Salgado on View at Somerset House in London
Artforum
Press
Artforum
Critics' Pick: Sebastião Salgado April 2017

Sebastião Salgado’s black-and-white photographs of Kuwait, shot toward the end of the Gulf War, feel otherworldly. They capture the spectacular violence of smoldering desert landscapes where nearly seven hundred oil wells—set alight by Saddam Hussein’s murderous forces as they were scrambling out of the country—are engulfed in flames.

Sawasdee Magazine
Press
Sawasdee Magazine
Eyes Wide Open March 2017

Legendary photojournalist Sebastião Salgado talks life and photography while in Bangkok for the opening of his retrospective The World Through His Eyes exhibition recently held at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. 

Bangkok Post
Press
Bangkok Post
In Salgado's pictures: empathy, meaning and truth February 2017

In an exclusive interview, the great Brazilian photographer talks about the importance of pictures in our understanding of the world's complexity

Philippine Tatler
Press
Philippine Tatler
All the World’s a Stage February 2016

Five iconic photographers will exhibit their most memorable works at the Ayala Museum.

Blouin Artinfo | The Asia Edition
Press
Blouin Artinfo | The Asia Edition
On Nature's Trail December 2015

Sebastião Salgado's epic photographic world tour comes to Shanghai

Blouin Artinfo
Press
Blouin Artinfo
Dealer's Notebook: Q&A With Sundaram Tagore June 2015

Blouin Artinfo speaks with Sundaram about STG's early days; what makes a good gallerist; and which historical figure he would like to share a drink with.

Artsy
Press
Artsy
Sundaram Tagore’s “World Art” Fills a Venetian Palazzo May 2015

Sundaram Tagore had his first taste of the Venice Biennale as a graduate student, when a scholarship from the Italian Ministry of Culture landed him in the city to study museology at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Now, 26 years on, with eponymous galleries in New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Tagore has returned to mount his own exhibition to run alongside the 56th Venice Biennale.

The Peak Hong Kong
Press
The Peak Hong Kong
The Bigger Picture March 2015

Renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado visited Hong Kong, where works were being showcased from his latest project Genesis, which was over eight years in the making.

AFP / Yahoo News
Press
AFP / Yahoo News
Photographer Salgado tells AFP 'planet near extinction' December 2014

World renowned Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado has crisscrossed the globe to document the extremes of globalisation, migration and unchartered territories, but is most troubled by mankind's reckless plundering of the planet, which he says is lethally short-sighted.

Artsy
Press
Artsy
The 11 Top Gallery Shows of 2014 January 8, 2015

Our Sebastião Salgado Singapore exhibition is selected as one of the best gallery shows of 2014.

Artsy
Press
Artsy
Sebastião Salgado’s Epic Photographs Tell a Sweeping Story of Our Planet December 2014

It’s hard to look at Sebastião Salgado’s epic photographs of indigenous tribesmen, wild animals, and remote landscapes without mixed feelings of awe and sadness.

SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST / 48 HOURS
Press
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST / 48 HOURS
The Inquisition December 2014

Sebastião Salgado: The 70-year-old Brazilian is one of the world's leading lights in social documentary photography.

Travel + Leisure
Press
Travel + Leisure
Fragility and Fortitude June 2014

Documentary photographer Sebastião Salgado says he works from inside the circle. In today's fast-paced world, that deliberate quality is evident in each of his photographs.

Robb Report
Press
Robb Report
A Curated Life December 2013

Acclaimed historian and gallerist Sundaram Tagore lives and breathes art.

Blouin Artinfo/Modern Painters
Press
Blouin Artinfo/Modern Painters
500 Best Galleries Worldwide July 2013

Sundaram Tagore Gallery has been named one of the top galleries in the world by Blouin Artinfo and Modern Painters magazine.

Time Out Hong Kong
Press
Time Out Hong Kong
Buying Fine Art Photography March 2013

"Firstly, you should look at photographers that you value and only acquire the very best piece the photographer is producing – the top of the line. Just the name of the photographer alone is not enough. The piece itself has to be breathtaking."

The Edge Singapore
Press
The Edge Singapore
Space for Art October 2012

Curator Sundaram Tagore tells Aimee Chan why the new art development at Gillman Barracks is so current and important.

ArtInfo
Press
ArtInfo
Sundaram Tagore Gallery Expands to Singapore September 2012

The Sundaram Tagore Gallery is expanding to Singapore, opening its fifth location within the new Gillman Barracks art district on September 14th. It beat out 30 other applicants to make the cut as one of the 13 galleries selected by a government-appointed committee to open what is touted to be the next big destination for contemporary art in Asia.

Time Out Singapore
Press
Time Out Singapore
September 2012

Former military compound Gillman Barracks is now home to some of the world's top gallery brands.

Bloomberg
Press
Bloomberg
Singapore Woos Millionaires With Murakami, Leibovitz June 2012

What's the connection between racing car driver Lewis Hamilton, Michelin-starred chef Joel Robuchon and New York gallery owner Sundaram Tagore? The answer is Singapore.

NY Arts Magazine
Press
NY Arts Magazine
Five World-Renowned Photographers Point their Lenses at India JANUARY 2012

For centuries India has held a grip on the Western imagination. Sundaram Tagore Gallery’s exhibition at this year’s India Art Fair in New Delhi (January 26 to 29) traces the country’s influence on a group of notable photographers.

Mail Online India
Press
Mail Online India
Iconic Afghan Girl photograph expected to fetch Rs25.5 lakh JANUARY 2012

Steve McCurry's "Afghan Girl" at India Art Fair.

The Wall
Press
The Wall
The India Art Fair JANUARY 2012

Sundaram Tagore has put together a dynamic selection of art work by bringing Kim Joon and Sebastian Salgado to India.

XINMSN
Press
XINMSN
A Moment with ... Gallerist Sundaram Tagore January 2012

Meet Sundaram Tagore, a New York-based gallerist, art historian and now award-winning director.

Condé Nast Traveller
Press
Condé Nast Traveller
India Art Fair 2012 DECEMBER 2011

Sundaram Tagore Gallery Hong Kong will show Annie Leibovitz and Sebastião Salgado at India Art Fair 2012.

BBC
Press
BBC
High-end art in Hong Kong June 2011

One of the early arrivals, back in 2007, was Sundaram Tagore, a gallerist with outposts in New York and Beverly Hills who focuses on the intersection of Western and non-Western art and shows pieces that further a global dialogue.

The New York Times Magazine
Press
The New York Times Magazine
On Earth As It Is In Heaven June 2011

What Sebastião Salgado sees in places untouched by humanity.

Gafencu Men
Press
Gafencu Men
The Look of Genesis JUNE 2011

Sebastião Salgado, one of the world’s most respected photographers, is set to debut his latest work—the Genesis series—in Hong Kong with a solo exhibition at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery.

ARTINFO
Press
ARTINFO
Hong Kong Prison to Be Rehabilitated as Lavish $231 Million Art Complex, With a Hand From Herzog & de Meuron JUNE 2011

(including Chelsea's Sundaram Tagore, which is currently exhibiting Sebastiao Salgado's gritty photographs of poverty and labor).

South China Morning Post
Press
South China Morning Post
Humanity Laid Bare May 2011

The faces and scenes we meet through Sebastiao Salgado's lens are haunting: Indian coffee growers, Vietnamese boatpoeple, forgotten landscapes and the impact of globalisation on humankind. Salgado, a Brazilian has been called the work's most important photographer of the early 21st Century. This week his debut solo exhibition in Hong Kong opened at Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Central.

Time Out Hong Kong
Press
Time Out Hong Kong
Unearthly Pursuits May 2011

Sebastiao Salgado is always on the go. An economist by trade before taking up an acclaimed career in photograhy, the 67-year-old Brazilian has been taking his poetic vision to every last shore on which human civilisation meets the natural world.

The Wall Street Journal
Press
The Wall Street Journal
Sundaram Tagore Focuses on Hong Kong MAY 2011

At the time, Mr. Tagore was one of the first international gallery owners to open a space in the city. Since then several foreign galleries have followed, including Gagosian Gallery and Ben Brown Fine Arts. “Hong Kong has become an important artistic center,” said Mr. Tagore. “There is an audience here that has a voracious appetite for art.”

Venice
Press
Venice
Sebastião Salgado Changing the World Frame By Frame July 2009

As we proceed with our interview in French, Photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has lived in Paris since 1969, begins most of his answers with "Ecoutes..." as to say "Listen..." in a heavy Brazillian accent he has maintained well from his native land.

The Sunday Times
Press
The Sunday Times
Taking the espresso train September 2007

Sitting in the basement of his agency in Paris, Sebastiao Salgado is recalling the camera that changed his destiny. The memory is more than three decades old, and yet still vivid. There is a glint in his bright blue eyes, his Picasso-like bald head is leaning across the table, his bushy white eyebrows are raised and he is repeating his favourite adjective – “enormous”.

Black & White Magazine
Press
Black & White Magazine
Salgado's Africa October 2008

For more than 30 years, Brazilian photojournalist Sebastião Salgado has been a roving prophet with a camera, alerting the developed world to the consequences - unintended and otherwise - of unchecked globalization. But no matter how harrowing the journey has become, his eloquent, unforgettable photographs are invariably attuned to the transformative power of the human spirit.

Guardian
Press
Guardian
Biography: Sebastião Salgado September 2004

Sebastião Salgado discovered photography while working as an economist for the World Bank. He is now one of the world's greatest photographers.

The New York Times
Press
The New York Times
Back to Nature, in Pictures and Action May 2009

Famous for putting a human face on economic and political oppression in developing countries, Mr. Salgado is photographing the most pristine vestiges of nature he can find: pockets of the planet unspoiled by modern development. He has visited the seminomadic Zo’e tribe in the heart of the Brazilian rain forest and weathered desolate stretches of the Sahara. Next up: two months in the Brooks mountain range of Alaska on the trail of caribous and Dall sheep.

The New Yorker
Press
The New Yorker
How Sebastião Salgado captures the world April 2005

In the world of photojournalism, a place where his fame and magisterial rhythm of work give him a singular status, Salgado has the added distinction of being his own producer: he owns the factory.

LA Weekly
Press
LA Weekly
Sebastião Salgado's Search for the Pristine JUNE 2007

A documentary photographer with a Ph.D. in economics, Sebastião Salgado has spent much of the last 30 years in the underbelly of globalization, bearing witness to some of the bleakest chapters of recent history. He’s photographed the victims of famine in Ethiopia, genocide in Rwanda, land mines in Angola, ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and war in Afghanistan. His last two major projects, “Workers” (1986–1992) and “Migrations” (1993–1999), are epic studies of postindustrial economic development, as reflected in the faces of those whom it least serves, from Brazilian gold miners to Vietnamese fishermen, displaced Ecuadorian farmers to Sudanese refugees.

Back To Top