Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry is best known for his evocative color photographs, many of which have become modern icons. He captures the essence of human struggle and joy often in the midst of international and civil conflict, including in Burma, Sri Lanka, Beirut, Cambodia, the Philippines, the Gulf, the former Yugoslavia, and continuing coverage of Afghanistan and Tibet. He focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing its impact on the landscape, but also on the human face.

Born in Philadelphia, McCurry graduated cum laude from the College of Arts and Architecture at Pennsylvania State University. He has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986. McCurry is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year (1984), the Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award (1986 and 1992), the Robert Capa Gold Medal and an unprecedented four first prize awards from the World Press Photo contest. In 2013 the Minister of French Culture appointed him Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. The following year, the Royal Photographic Society in London awarded McCurry the Centenary Medal for Lifetime Achievement. 

McCurry has published numerous books, among them In Search of Elsewhere: Unseen Images (2020), Steve McCurry: A Life in Pictures (2018), Afghanistan (2017), India (2015), The Unguarded Moment (2009), Looking East (2006), Steve McCurry (2005) and The Path to Buddha: A Tibetan Pilgrimage (2003).

McCurry’s work has been the subject of solo shows at museums and galleries worldwide, including The Rubin Museum of Art, New York; Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore; Arsenale di Venezia, Italy; and Seoul Arts Center, Korea. His work is in numerous collections, including The International Center of Photography and the George Eastman Museum, New York; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; Musée National d’art Moderne, Paris; and The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.