Sebastião Salgado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sebastião Salgado
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Salgado in 2016
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Sebastião Salgado
8 February 1944 Aimorés, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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| Died | 23 May 2025 (aged 81) Paris, France
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| Nationality | Brazilian, French |
| Known for | Photography |
| Children | Juliano Ribeiro Salgado Rodrigo Salgado |
Sebastião Ribeiro Salgado Júnior (born February 8, 1944) is a famous Brazilian photographer. He is known for his powerful black-and-white photos that show people and places around the world.
Salgado has traveled to over 120 countries for his photography projects. His work has been shown in many books and exhibitions worldwide. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, working to help children.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Sebastião Salgado was born in Aimorés, Brazil, on February 8, 1944. He studied to become an economist and earned degrees from universities in Brazil and Paris.
He started working as an economist for the International Coffee Organization. This job often took him to Africa, where he began to take photographs seriously.
Becoming a Photographer
Salgado decided to leave his job as an economist in 1973 to become a full-time photographer. He first worked on news stories. Later, he focused more on documentary photography, which tells a story through pictures.
He joined different photo agencies, including Magnum Photos, a famous group of photographers. In 1994, he and his wife, Lélia Wanick Salgado, started their own agency called Amazonas Images. Salgado is especially known for his photos of workers in less developed countries.
Famous Photography Projects
Salgado works on long-term projects that often become books. Some of his famous collections include The Other Americas, Sahel, Workers, Migrations, and Genesis. These last three books are huge collections with hundreds of photos from all over the world.
His most well-known pictures are from a gold mine in Brazil called Serra Pelada. He took these photos between 1986 and 1989.
The Genesis Project
From 2004 to 2011, Salgado worked on a project called Genesis. His goal was to show the untouched beauty of nature and humanity. This project includes photos of landscapes, wildlife, and human communities that still live by old traditions. Salgado hoped this work would help people reconnect with nature.
In 2007, Salgado showed his photos of coffee workers from different countries. This project aimed to teach people where their coffee comes from. He also photographed the amazing landscapes and people of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
Salgado's photos are known for their strong black-and-white style and dramatic lighting. His work has been featured in a film called The Salt of the Earth. This movie was directed by Wim Wenders and Salgado's son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.
Environmental Work
Sebastião and Lélia Salgado have worked since the 1990s to restore a part of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. In 1998, they turned 17,000 acres of land into a nature reserve. They also created the Instituto Terra, an organization dedicated to planting trees, protecting nature, and teaching people about the environment.
Personal Life
Salgado is married to Lélia Wanick Salgado. They have two children, including Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.
Awards and Recognition
Salgado has received many awards for his photography and his work for humanity. Some of these include:
- 1982: W. Eugene Smith Grant
- 1989: Hasselblad Award
- 1993: Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society
- 1998: Prince of Asturias Awards (Arts category)
- 2019: Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
- 2021: Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum
He has also received special honors from Brazil, France, and Monaco.
Film About Salgado
- The Salt of the Earth (2014): This documentary is about Sebastião Salgado and his life's work. It was directed by Wim Wenders and Salgado's son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado.
Exhibitions
Salgado's photographs have been shown in major exhibitions around the world.
- Genesis: This exhibition traveled to many cities, including London, Paris, New York City, and Tokyo.
- Déclaration: Shown in Paris in 2018/19.
- Amazônia: This exhibition has been displayed in Paris, London, Rome, and other cities.
Images for kids
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Salgado (left) gives current Brazilian president Lula da Silva his new book in 2006, during Lula's first presidency.
See also
In Spanish: Sebastião Salgado para niños
- Pruemopterus salgadoi, an extinct species of eurypterid named after Salgado
