War and Grace
Magnum photographer Steve McCurry’s Afghanistan retrospective
Afghanistan has long been a country overwhelmed by tribal rivalries, colonial wars, and geo-political conflict. The Afghans have called their mountains “the land of rebellion,” a land that has not been successfully occupied since the times of Alexander the Great. These invaders — Persians, Arabs, Moguls, Sikhs, British, Russians — may have been thwarted, but wandering through the bazaars of Kabul will attest to their legacy. In the people of Afghanistan, the genes of countless races meet and intermingle.
Deep are the fissures in Afghan society; the schism between Sunni and Shia, the endemic violence across clans and tribes, and the blood feuds and rivalries within lineages. Yet born of such chaos and entrenched conflict are these most breathtaking of images.
In this definitive retrospective of his work in Afghanistan, Steve McCurry has curated over 140 gripping images to present a torn, proud people, from the desert of Kandahar to the streets of Kabul and remote rivers of Nuristan. For almost four decades, McCurry traveled to the country regularly, documenting its people with a rare and disarming humanity. His most striking portrait Afghan Girl (1984) has graced the covers of magazines around the world, in equal parts haunting and evoking remarkable grace and dignity. In common with so much of McCurry’s work, it has a timeless, painterly quality—entirely at odds with the troubled region in which it was taken.
Magnum photographer Steve McCurry’s Afghanistan retrospective
Afghanistan has long been a country overwhelmed by tribal rivalries, colonial wars, and geo-political conflict. The Afghans have called their mountains “the land of rebellion,” a land that has not been successfully occupied since the times of Alexander the Great. These invaders — Persians, Arabs, Moguls, Sikhs, British, Russians — may have been thwarted, but wandering through the bazaars of Kabul will attest to their legacy. In the people of Afghanistan, the genes of countless races meet and intermingle.
Deep are the fissures in Afghan society; the schism between Sunni and Shia, the endemic violence across clans and tribes, and the blood feuds and rivalries within lineages. Yet born of such chaos and entrenched conflict are these most breathtaking of images.
In this definitive retrospective of his work in Afghanistan, Steve McCurry has curated over 140 gripping images to present a torn, proud people, from the desert of Kandahar to the streets of Kabul and remote rivers of Nuristan. For almost four decades, McCurry traveled to the country regularly, documenting its people with a rare and disarming humanity. His most striking portrait Afghan Girl (1984) has graced the covers of magazines around the world, in equal parts haunting and evoking remarkable grace and dignity. In common with so much of McCurry’s work, it has a timeless, painterly quality—entirely at odds with the troubled region in which it was taken.
The photographer
Steve McCurry was born in Philadelphia, PA, and has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than forty years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. After numerous travels throughout India, the Middle East and Afghanistan, he founded ImagineAsia in 2004, with the mission to help provide educational resources and opportunities to children and young adults in Afghanistan. This is his third book for TASCHEN, following Afghanistan (2017) and Animals (2019).
Texts by
William Dalrymple is a Scotland-born historian, critic, curator, and writer. He first gained recognition for his acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu, recounting his incredible journey following the route of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to Mongolia. He has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award, and the Wolfson Prize, among others.
Steve McCurry was born in Philadelphia, PA, and has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than forty years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. After numerous travels throughout India, the Middle East and Afghanistan, he founded ImagineAsia in 2004, with the mission to help provide educational resources and opportunities to children and young adults in Afghanistan. This is his third book for TASCHEN, following Afghanistan (2017) and Animals (2019).
Texts by
William Dalrymple is a Scotland-born historian, critic, curator, and writer. He first gained recognition for his acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu, recounting his incredible journey following the route of Marco Polo from Jerusalem to Mongolia. He has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize, the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award, and the Wolfson Prize, among others.
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