Don McCullin,
Telling the world

 A Palestinian family leaving the Martyr’s Cemetery, Beirut, Lebanon, 1976.
© Don McCullin (Contact Press Images)

From October 9 to November 12

Since the publication in 1959 of his first photo in the British Observer, Don McCullin has been photographing war and the situation of the suffering, the destitute and the victims. The darkness of his images is equalled only by his humanity. “I’ve always pointed my camera in the direction of people who have no defence against their society, under-privileged people. I have to speak for the under-privileged.” Speak for them. Through his photos he would do this for more than half a century. Whether in deprived neighbourhoods of London or in the most far-flung war zones he would capture a situation, a gaze or an expression. “The story of a life can always be seen in the eyes of the victims.”
At the end of his military service in the Royal Air Force, during which he discovered both travel and photography, Don McCullin’s life took a major turn. Returning to London armed with a camera he immortalised his childhood friends, the Guv’nors gang, for posterity. The Observer newspaper published one of his photos to illustrate a crime story: this marked the start of his career. He quickly began to win major awards for his current affairs photography. In 1961 his report on the construction of the Berlin Wall received a British Press Award; in 1964 his coverage of the civil war in Cyprus was recognised by the distinguished World Press Photo award. In 1966 he signed an exclusive contract with The Sunday Times magazine, with which he would stay until 1984. During this period he covered every conflict of the time – Vietnam, Cambodia, Congo, Israel, Biafra, Northern Ireland, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Chad, El Salvador, Iran, Uganda… “I was trying to show people the futility of war.”

The British photographer Don McCullin accepted the invitation to take on the role of President of the International Jury for this 30th edition. The exhibition features a selection of photographs by this legend of war reporting.

Meet Alain Frachon and Michel Guerrin at the Book Fair for their book Don McCullin, le monde dans le viseur

This exhibition was created in association with Nikon

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Outside in Bayeux
The layout of the exhibition can be found in details at the Office of Tourism