Don McCullin Book Lab

23 Jun - 23 Jul 2018

Los Angeles

About

British photographer Don McCullin has witnessed some of the most harrowing humanitarian disastersof the last half-century, having covered every major conflict in his adult lifetime for news sources such as The Observer and Sunday Times Magazine. His assignments included the Vietnam and Biafra Wars, Northern Ireland, the Lebanese Civil War, Belgian Congo, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, and the fall of Phnom Penh. In pursuit of his work, McCullin was wounded in Cambodia, fell from a roof in Salvador, Brazil, was imprisoned by the Idi Amin regime in Uganda, and contracted cerebral malaria in West Africa. Over the course of his dedicated career documenting war and conflict, McCullin has become celebrated both as a master of black and white photography, and as history’s greatest war photographer.

This edition of the Book Lab is dedicated to the exhibition ‘Don McCullin’ on view in our Tower Room 2. The Lab presents a display of original magazine articles that document McCullin’s career, saved by the artist over the years. A collection of the photo journalist’s personal memorabilia is also featured in this presentation, including the Nikon camera that notoriously saved his life from a sniper bullet during the Vietnam war.

Installation views

About the Artist

‘When human beings are suffering, they tend to look up, as if hoping for salvation. And that’s when I press the button.’—Don McCullin

Photographer Don McCullin has witnessed some of the most harrowing humanitarian disasters of the last half-century, having covered every major conflict in his adult lifetime. His assignments included the Vietnam and Biafra War, Northern Ireland, the Lebanese Civil War, Belgian Congo, the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the fall of Phnom Penh. In pursuit of his work, he was wounded in Cambodia, fell from a roof in Salvador, was imprisoned by the Idi Amin regime in Uganda, and contracted cerebral malaria in West Africa. But in the course of his long career, and through his dedication to documenting global wars and conflict, he has become celebrated both as a master of black and white photography, and as history’s greatest war photographer. His early professional career shone a harsh spotlight on the reality of post-war life, including the stark landscapes of the industrial north, the increasing unemployment and homelessness levels in the capital, and growing unrest across the country. For the last two decades, McCullin has turned to look at the land around him, namely the Somerset village in which he was evacuated during the Blitz. Often referring to the sweeping rural landscape as his greatest salvation, the photographer demonstrates the full mastery of his medium with stark black and white images resonating with human emotion whilst retaining the honesty and grit synonymous with his earlier works.

McCullin holds a Commander of the British Empire medal, and is only the second photographer to become a Knight of the Realm. Major exhibitions include: ‘Hearts of Darkness,’ Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK (1980); Barbican Center, London, UK (1998); La Maison de la Photographie, Paris, France (2002); ‘Shaped By War,’ Imperial War Museum, London, UK (2012); Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, UK (2017), a part of the Tate’s highly celebrated Artist Rooms. A major retrospective took place at Tate Britain, London and Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, UK in 2019-2021.