National Geographic exhibition to open in Nelson
Sub-Saharan Mali 1997, Photo by Joanna B. Pinne
RELEASED 16 March 2018
In 1985 National Geographic Magazine ran on its cover a photograph by American Steve McCurry – a simple portrait of a green eyed Afghan girl taken in a refugee camp in Pakistan. That photograph became one of the most iconic images ever published, in the nearly 130-year history of the magazine. Afghan Girl, as the image became known, will feature in the Nelson Provincial Museums latest international exhibition 50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic, opening to the public 17 March 2018.
This exhibition will transport visitors behind the lens of some of National Geographic’s most engaging images. “Alongside the unforgettable ‘Afghan Girl’ are Michael “Nick” Nichols’s haunting photograph of Jane Goodall with a chimpanzee reaching through the bars of his cage in an African zoo and Thomas Abercrombie’s 1965 photograph of a quarter of million Muslim pilgrims at Mecca, the exhibition takes you into the stories behind 50 of the most remembered and celebrated photographs in the world,” says Nils Pokel, Nelson Museums Experience Leader.
In addition to seeing the photos as they appeared in the magazine visitors will be able to see the ‘near frames’ taken by the photographer for some of the images. These are the sequence of images made in the field before and after the perfect shot.
They will be able to hear accounts of places travelled to and the remarkable people these photographers met in the pursuit of their photojournalist work.
Nelson Museum’s Chief Executive Lucinda Blackley-Jimson said “The National Geographic is renowned for documenting extraordinary events and bringing stories of adventure, world cultures and wild places to life through the pages of their magazine. As an internationally touring exhibition 50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic will give the Nelson region a window and insight into places many of us may never travel to.”
The exhibition has proven popular wherever it has been shown, with many venues having queues of people lining up around the block.
“These photographs really are the very best examples of photojournalist work in the world and we are delighted to be able to bring this exceptional exhibition to Nelson.” Says Lucinda “Many of these images changed public opinion and reflect the power of photography to open eyes – hearts and minds – with a single image.”
The exhibition will run from 17 March until 27 May 2018 at the Nelson Provincial Museum, 270 Trafalgar Street, Nelson. The exhibition will be free of charge for Nelson Tasman residents.
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