Steve McCurry’s Afghanistan

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Steve McCurry is one of the most recognised and celebrated photographers of our time, best known for his portrait, The Afghan Girl, which was first published on the cover of National Geographic’s June 1985 issue.

Yet his portrait of Sharbat Gula in a red headscarf is just one of hundreds of photographs from McCurry’s time in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.

In 1978 he travelled to Pakistan as a young freelance photojournalist looking for stories.

It was here that he met the first of many Afghan refugees who encouraged him to travel with them to their country to help tell the story of a conflict between US-backed Mujahideen rebels and the Soviet-backed Afghan Government, a conflict that was to develop into a bloody nine-year war that would claim the lives of more than a million Afghans.

A country of great contrasts, torn by conflict and washed in beauty, Afghanistan has been a recurring subject in McCurry’s work for more than 30 years.

During his visits he has lived with the Afghan people, both military and civilian, and documented conflict, culture and scenery across an incredibly varied landscape.

An exhibition celebrating Steve McCurry’s continuing relationship with Afghanistan’s people, culture and landscape is running at the Beetles & Huxley gallery in London.

Consisting of 40 pictures spanning those years, the exhibition showcases McCurry’s most distinguished work. With photographs taken before and after the arrival of US troops in 2002, this collection is both a homage to the early photography of a legendary journalist, and a celebration of his continuing dedication to the medium. Here, we present a selection of the images.

For more information please click here to visit the Beetles & Huxley website