Taipei City Government

Swiss master of photography and member of Magnum Photos, René Burri is considered as one of the most influential contemporary photographers. He has demonstrated a visual policality in the major cultural events of the 20th century and left many images of a heart-felt immediacy in black and white for future generations, such as the iconic image of the Cuban revolution leader Che Guevara with a cigar, the commemorative series of portraits photographed in his encounter with Picasso in 1957, and the records of both Brasilia in the early period of construction and Beijing in the 1960s. As the late photographer’s first retrospective, the exhibition aims to present not only many of his classic works, but a fruitful result of meticulous and in-depth research on diverse unpublished archives from Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Foundation René Burri and Magnum Photos in Paris and in New York. Instead of privileging the events or works as the core in a photo exhibition, the current manifestation foregrounds the individual photographer as the discursive pivot where the events converge, expecting to bring forth a brand new perspective of seeing for the public nowadays.

The exhibition is expected to display more than 500 works and archives, including the original antique photos, contact sheets, notes, sketches, books and correspondences, etc.

This exhibition is produced by Photo Elysée in Lausanne, in collaboration with Taipei Fine Arts Museum.