The exhibition includes his most iconic shots, from those dedicated to Indian railways to the Afghan Girl as well as war reportage
Steve McCurry (Philadelphia, April 23, 1950), renowned master of international photography, showcases his most famous shots in Parma, at Palazzo Pigorini, until April 12, 2026.
Since 1985, McCurry has been one of the photographers at the prestigious Magnum agency and his reportage spans from street photography to urban photography, from portraiture to war photography.
The exhibition, curated by Biba Giacchetti, presents his iconic images in a display that guides the visitors not according to chronological order, but by forcing them into an active participation to catch the subtle thread that connects images of distant people and places, united by emotions and atmospheres.
The artist, who initially enrolled at Penn State University to study photography and cinema, but eventually graduated in theater, began taking photos at a very young age, working for local magazines, boasts a career spanning over forty years.
This career, well documented at Palazzo Pigorini, led him to focus on reportage, starting with India in the 1970s and later in 1983 creating his celebrated photo essay on Indian railways.
He has been on the front lines of several conflicts, including in Iran, Cambodia, Iraq and Lebanon
The exhibition, produced by Artika in collaboration with Orion57 and the Municipality of Parma, showcases all of McCurry’s most famous works, starting with the iconic Afghan Girl photograph published on the cover of “National Geographic” in 1985. This photo, taken in a refugee camp near Peshawar during a journey along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which was under rebel control just before the Soviet invasion, showed the true face of war.
Among his most well-known images is the Afghan Girl, published on the cover of “National Geographic” in 1985
This adventurous reportage earned him the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal Award and is just one of many stays in war zones where he was on the front lines, such as Iran, Cambodia, Iraq, Lebanon, the Philippines and the Gulf War. The Parma exhibition provides extensive documentation of these conflicts.
A recipient of other notable awards, including the World Press Photo Award and the Leica Hall of Fame Award, McCurry says: “I’ve learned to be patient. If you wait long enough, people forget the camera and their soul begins to rise toward you”.
This is certainly the best way to understand his work, encouraging the visitor to seek the soul in the gazes of the people portrayed, which is the true aim of the artist.
Numerous international awards have been granted to him, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal Award, World Press Photo Award and Leica Hall of Fame Award
