René Burri
Encyclopedia
René Burri is a Swiss photographer known for his photos of major political, historical and cultural events and key figures of the second half of the 20th century. Burri worked for Magnum Photos
and has been photographing political, military and artistic figures and scenes since 1946. He has made portraits of Che Guevara
and Pablo Picasso
as well as iconic pictures of São Paulo
and Brasília
.
, Switzerland
at the School of Applied Arts from 1949 to 1953, where he worked under Hans Finsler, Alfred Willimann and Johannes Itten
. From 1953 to 1955 he began working as a documentary filmmaker while completing military service. During this time he also began working with Leica
cameras. Then he worked for Disney as a cameraman until 1955. From 1956 to 1959 he traveled extensively to places including Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Brazil, and Japan, which led to publications in Life
, Look
, Stern
, Paris-Match, Epoca
, and New York Times, as well as a photographic essay "El Gaucho" which appeared in Du. In 1963 he was working in Cuba when he was able to photograph Che Guevara
; these images of Guevara smoking a cigar have become iconic.
Burri first began working with Magnum Photos
in 1955 through Werner Bischof
, becoming a full member in 1959 and being elected chair of Magnum France in 1982. His first report "Touch of Music for the Deaf" on deaf-mute children was published by Life
. In 1965 he assisted with the creation of Magnum Films which lead to his work on the Magnum-BBC joint production of, The Two Faces of China. In 1967 he produced a documentary on the Six-Day War
in Jerusalem for German television. He produced the film Jean Tinguely in 1972.
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
and has been photographing political, military and artistic figures and scenes since 1946. He has made portraits of Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
as well as iconic pictures of São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
and Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
.
Career
Burri studied in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
at the School of Applied Arts from 1949 to 1953, where he worked under Hans Finsler, Alfred Willimann and Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus school...
. From 1953 to 1955 he began working as a documentary filmmaker while completing military service. During this time he also began working with Leica
Leica
Leica Camera AG, a German optics company, produces Leica cameras. The predecessor of the company, formerly known as Ernst Leitz GmbH, is now three companies: Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment, and microscopes, respectively...
cameras. Then he worked for Disney as a cameraman until 1955. From 1956 to 1959 he traveled extensively to places including Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Brazil, and Japan, which led to publications in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Look
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
, Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
, Paris-Match, Epoca
Época
Época is a Brazilian weekly news and analysis magazine. Since its inception in 1998, it has become one of the country's most widely read magazines...
, and New York Times, as well as a photographic essay "El Gaucho" which appeared in Du. In 1963 he was working in Cuba when he was able to photograph Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
; these images of Guevara smoking a cigar have become iconic.
Burri first began working with Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
in 1955 through Werner Bischof
Werner Bischof
Werner Bischof was a Swiss photographer and photojournalist.-Early life:Bischof was born in Zürich, Switzerland. When he was six years old, the family moved to Waldshut, Germany, where he subsequently went to school...
, becoming a full member in 1959 and being elected chair of Magnum France in 1982. His first report "Touch of Music for the Deaf" on deaf-mute children was published by Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
. In 1965 he assisted with the creation of Magnum Films which lead to his work on the Magnum-BBC joint production of, The Two Faces of China. In 1967 he produced a documentary on the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
in Jerusalem for German television. He produced the film Jean Tinguely in 1972.
Awards
- 1998—Dr. Erich Salomon Prize by the German Photography Society-DGPh.
- 1999—Canton of Zurich cultural prize.
Exhibitions
- 1966 « China », Galerie Form, Zurich
- 1967 « René Burri Retrospective », Art Institute, Chicago
- 1971 « 50 Photographies de René Burri », Galerie Rencontre, Paris
- 1972 « René Burri Retrospective », Raffi Photo Gallery, New York; Il Diaframma, Milan
- 1980/1981 « Die Deutschen », Folkwang Museum, Essen; Galerie Rudolf Kicken, Cologne; Galerie Nagel, Berlin
- 1984/1985 « One World », Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich; Berner Photo-Galerie, Berne; Centre National de la Photographie et Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Musée des arts décoratifs, Lausanne (1985 - 1995 also in New Delhi, Havana, New York, Bratislava and Ostrava)
- 1987 « Dans la familiarité de Corbu », Le Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne. « An American Dream », International Center of Photography, New York
- 1994 « Dialogue avec Le Corbusier », Museo de arte moderno de Medellàn, Medellàn (1995 also in Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Lima)
- 1995 « Le Paris de René Burri », Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris 1997 « Che », Fnac-Forum, Paris; Galerie R. Mangisch, Zurich (1997 - 2001 also in Barcelona, Lille and Lisbon)
- 1998 « 77 Strange Sensations », Villa Tobler, Zurich « Die Deutschen », Fotografie Forum International, Frankfurt (1998 - 2003 also in Kaufbeuren, Velbert, Toulouse and Burghausen)
- 2002 « Berner Blitz », Galerie Karrer, Zurich
- 2004 « René Burri - Rétrospective 1950-2000 » Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris; Musée de l’Elysée, Paris.
- 2005 Lausanne (also in Milan and Zurich) « René Burri: Utopia - Architecture et Architecte », Hermès Gallery, New York; Leica Gallery, Prague
- 2005 « René Burri: Photos de Jean Tinguely & Cie », Musée Tinguely, Basel « René Burri: Utopia - Architecture et Architecte », Ausstellungsraum Klingental, Basel
- 2009 Les Rencontres d'Arles, France.
- 2010 « I tedeschi. La Germania degli anni Sessanta nelle fotografie di René Burri », Pordenone (Italy), Galleria Sagittaria, Centro Iniziative Culturali Pordenone
External links
- René Burri Biography
- Magnum Photos profile of Burri
- A René Burri portfolio from Le MondeLe MondeLe Monde is a French daily evening newspaper owned by La Vie-Le Monde Group and edited in Paris. It is one of two French newspapers of record, and has generally been well respected since its first edition under founder Hubert Beuve-Méry on 19 December 1944...
- Audio interview with René Burri
- Ingrid, Che and Rene Burri - slideshow by The First PostThe First PostThe First Post is a British daily online news magazine based in London. It was launched in August 2005. It publishes news, current affairs, lifestyle, opinion, arts and sports pages, and it features an online games arcade and a cinema featuring short films, virals, trailers and eyewitness news...
- Photographer René Burri's Best Shot by Andrew Pulver, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- René Burri Retrospective at the Kunsthal, Rotterdam - images and video
- René Burri on The Brander - Creators of Brands