Sebastião Salgado is an internationally acclaimed social documentary photographer and photojournalist. He has captured major news events as well as completed long-term documentary projects. Salgado has travelled to over 120 countries, often working in remote places. He records his subjects of humanity, wildlife and nature with a profound sense of empathy and respect. Salgado photographs in black and white, preferring a gelatin silver process, and he prints all of his own works at his studio in Paris.
Sebastião Salgado was born in Brazil in 1944. He has been the recipient of numerous photographic prizes in recognition of his accomplishments, including the Gold Medal Award for Photography from the National Arts Club in New York. Several books have been published on Salgado’s work including Workers, Migrations and Genesis. Salgado was part of the well-known cooperative agency, Magnum Photos, for 15 years before founding his own agency, Amazonas images, in Paris with his wife Léila Wanick Salgado. Since 2013, Genesis has been touring to leading museums around the world including the British Museum, London, UK; International Centre of Photography, New York; Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris; Ara Pacis Museum, Rome and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. A 2015 documentary film on the life and work of Salgado, The Salt of The Earth, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. Salgado was appointed to the Académie des Beaux-Arts of the Institut de France and elected Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was the recipient of the 2021 World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award for his leadership in addressing issues of inequality and sustainability and holds an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Harvard University.