Legendary Brazilian Photographer Sebastião Salgado Has Died At 81

Sebastião Salgado at his exhibition at Les Franciscaines cultural center in Deauville
It is with deep sorrow that we bid farewell to Sebastião Salgado, one of the most visionary and compassionate photographers of our time, who passed away on May 23, 2025 in Paris from leukemia. For over five decades, he dedicated his life to bearing witness to the beauty and suffering of our world, crafting an unparalleled body of work that gave voice to the most vulnerable and revealed the fragile majesty of our planet. With his lifelong partner, Lélia Wanick Salgado, he created images that transcended photojournalism – offering instead a poetic, unflinching reflection on human dignity, resilience and the urgent need for environmental stewardship.
Together, Sebastião and Lélia not only transformed how we see the world, but actively helped to heal it through the Instituto Terra, a reforestation initiative in Aimorés in the state of Minas Gerais in his native Brazil that has planted more than three million trees. From war zones to remote landscapes, his lens never flinched, even as his own health declined after contracting a rare form of malaria in 2010 in Indonesia during his 'Genesis' project. Complications from that illness ultimately led to a severe form of leukemia that claimed his life. He leaves behind not just a towering photographic legacy, but a living testament to hope, endurance and the possibility of renewal – survived by his beloved wife, their sons Juliano and Rodrigo, and grandchildren Flávio and Nara.
Salgado's spirit will undoubtedly live on through the countless lives he touched and the timeless images he created. His work is currently being celebrated in the 'Amazônia' exhibition at Tour & Taxis in Brussels until November 9, 2025 displaying more than 200 large-format photographs that capture the breathtaking richness of the Amazon rainforest and the lives of its indigenous peoples, accompanied by an original soundtrack composed by Jean-Michel Jarre, as well as a major survey show at Les Franciscaines cultural center in Deauville, France, on view until June 1, 2025, presented in collaboration with the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The Q&A that follows was one of the final interviews Salgado gave before his death, offering a powerful reflection on his life's work, values and vision for the world.
Sebastião Salgado, Greater Burhan oil field, Kuwait, 1991, MEP Collection, Paris
How did your relationship with black-and-white photography begin?
At first, I did a lot of color. When I started working for the press, I had to make a living. Magazines in the '70s and '80s didn't publish black-and-white photos. All the commissions we had were in color. But never in my life was I a photographer of color. Color bothered me enormously from focusing on my image. At the time, we worked with slides, which had high-contrast colors. I knew that blues and reds were going to become hugely important visually when I looked at the final image, and it made me lose all the focus I had on a person's dignity and personality. Black and white is an abstraction. Nothing is in black and white. But there I transformed all the color ranges into grayscale, and everything became a range of grays where I could focus on wherever I wanted.
One of your most iconic projects is your documentation of the Serra Pelada gold mine in Brazil. What made that experience so powerful?
In 1986, I did a story on the gold mine in Brazil. It was discovered in 1980. I had tried to go to this mine in '80, '81, '82, '83, '84, '85. I never had permission because it was the Brazilian army that controlled this mine. I was very close to a guerrilla movement in Brazil that was the number one enemy of the army. But in 1986, they left the mine, and it was the cooperative –people who had the concession and the workers – that were in charge, and they allowed me to come. I hadn't published my photos because it wasn't worth it – magazines didn't publish in black and white at the time. They only published in color. It took at least six or seven months to get them published. But when Magnum, where I was, decided to diffuse them, Jimmy Fox, the publisher, said, 'This story is exceptional.' The Sunday Times Magazine gave me 10 pages and the cover. It was exceptional in black and white, as we hadn't published in black and white for 15 years. Right away, The New York Times Magazine did the same. Three weeks later, it was Paris Match and Stern. We broke the code of color with this story. And from then on, it was possible for me to abandon color photography and work only in black and white.
Sebastião Salgado, Serra Pelada Gold Mine, State of Pará, Brazil, 1986, MEP Collection, Paris
You've dedicated your life to long, immersive projects. What toll has this work taken on your body?
I wore out my body a lot. I had an operation on my Achilles tendon. The Istanbul police attacked me and broke my Achilles tendon. I broke my knees twice; I have a mechanical knee. I had an operation on the tendon in my left shoulder and my right shoulder tendon. I've had a lot of accidents. I broke my machine producing red and white blood cells. And I'm a little battered. At 81 years old, I'm trying to hold on a little bit, to see if I can live a few more years. The projects I did in photography were long-term projects. I've worked on stories that took me five or eight years, and if I take on a project like that now, I might not get to the end because I might disappear before then.
You've spoken about a health crisis that changed your life. What happened?
I caught a very strong form of malaria – plasmodium falciparum – the strongest of the malarias. And I treated the malaria, but my doctor in Paris, in the service of Professor Gentilini at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, said, 'Sebastião, when you get falciparum, you have to rest for at least four to six months because it attacks the whole body. You are weakened everywhere.' And I said, 'Yes, you're right.' But a fortnight later, I was on the Colorado Plateau working because I had a whole expedition organized with guides, assistants, everything, to get to this wonderful part of the world. I was so tired that I couldn't walk properly anymore. When I returned to Paris, my immunological defense was zero. I got an infection in a dental implant and had a generalized infection. I took a brutal load of antibiotics. Everything was awakened in my body, except one thing: my machine to produce white blood cells, red blood cells, platelets. It was broken. It was a kind of cancer that I caught. The doctors who treat me are doctors who treat cancer. I've been taking medication for 15 years. It more or less resolves the problem, and I can travel, work, do everything. I did a whole project in the Amazon afterwards. But then a few months ago in Brazil, my body denied these drugs that I had been taking for 15 years.
You've spoken about giving up photography after witnessing the genocide in Rwanda in the early 2000s and becoming sick. What happened?
While we were in Brazil resting, my parents became old. I am from a family of eight children. I have seven sisters, but I am the only son. And there, my parents made the decision to give our farm, the farm where I was born, to Lélia and I. And I made the decision to give up photography. Lélia and I would become farmers. We were going to give up everything, take this farm and start planting grass for cattle. We came back to Paris and we returned to Brazil during Christmas. My father had rented a bulldozer to build a road that goes up the mountain. The farm is huge, and it was the rainy season. There was heavy rain and the rain carried away all the earth that the bulldozer had dug up. It killed our stream, a beautiful stream in which I'd swum with caimans when I was a child. We lived in this stream, and we killed the stream. Lélia said to me, 'You're not a farmer. I'm not a farmer. We're going to take this land and plant the forest that was here before.' And little by little, we started to rehabilitate a forest. We were not activists in any movement. But today, we are ecologists.
Sebastião Salgado, Shaman ngelo Barcelos (Koparihewë, which means 'Head of Song' or 'Voice of Nature'), from the community of Maturacá, interacts with Xapiri spirits in visions during an ascent to Pico da Neblina, the highest mountain in Brazil. For the Yanomami, it is a sacred place called Yaripo. Yanomami Indigenous Territory, State of Amazonas, 2014
How did immersing yourself and reconnecting with nature through growing a forest lead you to rediscover your passion for photography and inspire your project, 'Genesis', thereby making the transition from people to nature as your central interest?
It gave meaning to 'Genesis'. I had given up photography. While we were in Brazil, I simply did a photography project because I'm a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and UNICEF asked me to make a book about the end of polio. Although I was no longer a photographer, I went to a lot of countries around the world for this project with UNICEF. We published a book in New York. Seeing this forest come to life in Brazil is wonderful because a tree, even a small tree, gives leaves, flowers and fruit, and then the insects come, so do the birds, then the mammals. We saw life and the birth of a forest. That gave me the crazy desire to go and photograph there, but no longer our species, to go and photograph all the other species. That's when, with Lélia, we conceived a series of trips over eight years, to go around the world to photograph the pristine part of the planet, the part that hasn't been destroyed. And that's how 'Genesis' was born. We have destroyed a good part of our biodiversity, but we still have 47 % of the planet – almost half of the planet – that's still here. It's not the easiest part to destroy because these are the deserts, the very cold part of the planet, the very high lands, the very humid lands. They are intact. Over eight years, I made 32 trips to 32 countries or regions of the world, from the Arctic to Antarctica, but the greatest journeys I've ever gone on are within myself, to discover that I am one single species among thousands of other species, and each one is as important as ours. I was in total despair when I finished the Rwanda project. When I stopped, my hope was dead. And after, my hope was reborn, no longer based on the human species, but based on all the other species on the planet. If we disappear, and we will disappear, because we are programmed to end, the planet will completely reconstitute itself. I believe in evolution, that it's the history of this planet. The planet is fantastic.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CBS News

3 hours ago

• CBS News

Pennsylvania strangers meet during viral photoshoot leading to real life connection

A Levittown photographer captured the moment two complete strangers met for the first time. Now, the images have gone viral as hundreds of thousands of people online are following the undeniable connection seen on camera. "I get two strangers together and we have fun, take a photo shoot, and apparently the internet really liked it," Amanda Johnson said. "They had no idea who they were and I got them together and their chemistry just kind of took off." Johnson has been a photographer since 2017 and she's done a handful of what she calls "stranger sessions." People sign up for the sessions and she tries to pair up strangers with similar interests before having them meet up for a photoshoot. Her most recent "stranger session" at the Red Rhino Car Wash in Fairless Hills garnered quite a bit of attention online after the photos showed Teresa Dittes and Dylan Waskiewicz's instant connection. Amanda Johnson "I turn around and we see each other and I was like, 'Oh, yeah. He's cute,'" Dittes said. "First time ever doing a stranger photoshoot," Waskiewicz said. "I've seen Amanda's previous one and I thought it was kind of cool. So, I gave it a shot." The photo session documented the first time they saw each other, from playful scenes at the car wash to more intimate moments, leading people online to find it hard to believe they had just met. "Everyone is just like, 'Oh my gosh, are they together? Are they together, are they together? Everyone wants to know," Johnson said. It's a real-life connection that sparked from the unknown and captivated the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people. "We went out on a date on Friday night," Dittes said. "We went out to dinner, and it went well because clearly, we're here. Online dating is awful. This was definitely a very interesting way to meet someone, but it was also a fun experience as well." Amanda Johnson "It was different and I'm all about different experiences, getting out there, putting yourself out there and just enjoying life really," Waskiewicz said. Johnson is currently working on setting up more "stranger sessions" in the near future. If you're interested, you can fill out an application here.

Yahoo

15 hours ago

• Yahoo

International Human Rights, Children's Welfare Film Fund Established by Producer Uday Jhunjhunwala (EXCLUSIVE)

Independent producer Uday Jhunjhunwala has unveiled the establishment of a fund, fiscally sponsored by Desipina Productions, for film, theater, prose and poetry projects centered on international human rights and children's welfare during South Asian House's programming at the Tribeca Festival. The fund was among several projects that gained momentum as South Asian House concluded its third consecutive year of programming at the festival, partnering with the Islamic Scholarship Fund (ISF) and Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) to spotlight the need for authentic representation in film. More from Variety 'Inside' Review: Guy Pearce and Cosmo Jarvis Are Inmates in an Offbeat Aussie Prison Drama 'Sham' Review: Takashi Miike's Real-Life Courtroom Thriller Ends Up Shedding Its Complexities Tribeca Studios and OpenAI to Establish AI-Integrated Short Film Program (EXCLUSIVE) One of the highlights of the programming was a panel at the AT&T Untold Stories Lounge, curated by Rohi Mirza Pandya, founder of South Asian House/Box Office Guru Media. Moderated by Shruti Ganguly, the conversation featured panelists Aizzah Fatima from ISF and Maya Labban from AFMI. The event opened with a video message from Alana Hadid of Watermelon Pictures, who emphasized the importance of 'freeing the narrative.' The panel addressed the stark underrepresentation of Muslim characters in Hollywood, citing a June 2021 USC Annenberg study that found only 1.6% of nearly 9,000 characters in the 200 most popular films between 2017-2019 were Muslim, despite Muslims comprising 1.8 billion people globally. Beyond the main panel, South Asian House produced Tribeca Talks with ISF at the BrownGirl Clubhouse, while AFMI presented a mixer at MadamJi during the festival week. 'Where the Light Enters You,' a short documentary co-directed by Academy member Hemal Trivedi and Matt Alesevich, announced its Oscar qualifying run and Impact first campaign, aiming to build awareness around grassroots healthcare reform in rural India. Gitesh Pandya, founder of Box Office Guru, moderated a panel featuring South Asian filmmakers from Tribeca-selected films, including 'Pinch' director Uttera Singh, 'Poreless' producer/star Akbar Hamid, and 'The Patel Motel Story' co-directors Rahul Rohatgi and Amar Shah. The programming also included Industry Talks and a shorts screening featuring South Asian, Arab and Muslim filmmakers discussing authentic representation and industry access. Participants included entertainment lawyer Maaha Khan, cultural strategist Hiba Irshad, musician and actor Samrat Chakrabarti, co-directors Ronald Austin Jr. and Vinny Anand, comedian Atheer Yacoub, and actors Cindy Shi and Piyali Syam. ISF curated short films featured work by filmmakers Fatimah Asghar, Angbeen Saleem, Fahim Hamid and Habib Yazdi, who were in attendance. 'This partnership with Tribeca Festival has been incredible — their support means the world to us, and their commitment to diverse audiences is unparalleled,' said Pandya. 'To have these conversations in my hometown – where the grit and determination of independent filmmakers is the heartbeat of the city and to do so alongside such a brilliant group of women with an engaged audience – was truly a dream.' South Asian House, founded by Pandya and Monika Samtani, creates celebratory spaces for South Asian communities at major festivals. ISF, established in 2009, works to elevate American Muslim storytelling in media, while AFMI focuses on reshaping Arab narratives through film to challenge global stereotypes. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar

Yahoo

a day ago

• Yahoo

Whoopi Goldberg Slammed By Iranian Dissidents As Netizens Call For Her Removal From 'The View'

Whoopi Goldberg sparked backlash after comparing life for Black Americans in the U.S. to living in Iran during a segment on "The View." The award-winning actress's comments have now been condemned by Iranian dissidents, who have deemed the remarks "offensive" and "misguided." Social media has also been in a frenzy over her comments, with many criticizing Whoopi Goldberg for downplaying Iran's human rights abuses. Iranian dissidents are criticizing Goldberg for what they describe as an "offensive" comparison between the experience of Black Americans and life under Iran's theocratic regime. Dr. Sheila Nazarian, a prominent plastic surgeon and Iranian-American human rights advocate, was among the first to speak out. In a statement to Fox News Digital, she condemned the actress's comments, saying: "Whoopi Goldberg's comparison between being black in America and living under Iran's authoritarian regime is deeply misguided and dismisses the brutal realities faced by millions of Iranians." Nazarian, whose family fled Iran in 1985 after her father was targeted by the regime for execution, said Goldberg's comments were not just inaccurate, they were insulting. She noted, "While racism is a serious and ongoing challenge in the US, comparing this to life under a totalitarian theocracy like Iran is not only inaccurate — it's offensive to those who suffer daily under that regime." Nazarian added, "In Iran, the government controls nearly every aspect of life. People can be imprisoned, tortured, raped or even executed for peaceful protests, for criticizing the regime, or simply expressing their opinions online." Echoing Nazarian's outrage, Iranian-American journalist and foreign policy expert Lisa Daftari further lambasted Goldberg for making such comments while being a "woman of color." Daftari also claimed that Goldberg's ability to appear on "The View" dressed however she likes is proof that life in the U.S. for Black Americans is not the same as that of women in Iran. The journalist said: "It's astonishing that Whoopi Goldberg would even suggest that life for black Americans is somehow equivalent to living under the rule of the ayatollah in Iran." Daftari added, "The very fact that she, as a woman — and a woman of color — has a platform where she can speak freely, express dissenting views, and appear uncovered on national television is proof of the immense freedoms she enjoys." The controversy unfolded on "The View" during a tense exchange between Goldberg and co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin. Griffin was highlighting Iran's well-documented human rights abuses, such as the execution of LGBTQ+ individuals and the arrests of women for violating strict dress codes. Goldberg interrupted, warning against singling out Iran without acknowledging America's past. "Let's not do that," she said, pointing to the U.S.'s history of racial violence. "Because if we start with that, we have been known in this country to tie gay folks to the car. Listen, I'm sorry, they used to just keep hanging black people." Griffin hit back at Goldberg, noting the stark difference between current conditions in the U.S. and the reality in Iran: "In the year 2025 in the United States, it's nothing like if I step foot wearing this outfit into Iran right now." Goldberg stood firm: "It is the same," she replied. When Griffin attempted to highlight the stark contrast between the freedoms in today's America and the harsh realities of life under Iran's theocratic rule, Goldberg pushed back, saying, "Not if you're Black." As tensions flared, Joy Behar stepped in to defuse the tension, urging Griffin to try and view the conversation through the lens of a Black American. "Just try to understand from their point of view, this country does not do them well," Behar said. Griffin responded respectfully, saying she "completely" acknowledged that experience, but maintained her belief that the conditions in Iran are "significantly worse" than those in the U.S. Since the episode aired, social media users have flooded X (formerly Twitter) with criticism over Goldberg's remarks. Many expressed outrage at what they see as a false equivalence between racial injustice in the U.S. and the brutality of Iran's theocratic regime. Several also took the opportunity to call for the actress to be "removed" from her role as co-host on "The View." One user wrote, "Whoopi Goldberg has lost her mind. Women are raped, beaten and killed in Iran for showing their hair and not wearing hijab. Whoopi claims that is how blacks are treated in the U.S. 'The View' should be taken off the air, ABC should lose their license." Another posted: "What the f-ck did I just hear? Whoopi Goldberg on 'The View' (of all shows) just said that it's no different living in Iran than the U.S. The Islamic Republic has arrested over 30,642 women since 2022 for not wearing hijabs. They've killed, raped, and tortured many of them. Her co-host, who is of Iranian heritage, tried to explain the hardship the Iranian people go through living under the Iranian regime. Whoopi then shouts her down like she knows best. Disgusting." A third person bluntly stated, "Whoopi Goldberg needs to be FIRED! @ABCNetwork She is a racist and [disseminates] lies." A fourth X commenter added: "Did Whoopi Goldberg say on 'The View' that being Black in America today is worse than living in Iran? Whoopi, a wealthy woman living the American dream, is debating which mansion staircase to descend. She and her co-hosts are disconnected from everyday struggles. They should admit they're too rich and removed to grasp regular people's lives."