René Burri is far more than a news photographer. As a sensitive and involved collector of images, he always transcends the simple recording of fact to bring meaningful images from all corners of the world, whether they be portraits, street-scenes or architecture. His strong images portray daily lives as well as great moments in history. From the Suez crisis to the Cypriot conflict, the Cuban revolution, or the Cold War, this Swiss artist, a member of Magnum since 1959, has covered our planet with his piercing and inspired vision. His work is universal and aesthetic while also delivering a message. René Burri's passion for history has encouraged his creation of a number of famous series as in his portraits of Che Guevara or Pablo Picasso. Whether photographing Sao Paolo, Rome's Stazione Termini or the sculptor Giacometti, he has largely contributed to the construction of the pictorial memory of the twentieth century.
2006: - "Rétrospective 1950-2000", Manchester Art Gallery, Great Britain - "Photographies", Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland - "Le Corbusier - René Burri : Dialogue", Foundation Le Corbusier, Paris - "Utopia", WestLicht Gallery, Vienne 2005: " Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie, Guangzhou, China - "Rétrospective 1950-2000", Palazzo dell’Arengario, Milan - "Photographs", Cultural Forum for Photography, Berlin 2004: - "Rétrospective 1950-2000", Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris - Month of Photography, Bratislava, Slovaquia - Festival de Photographie de Pingyao, China - Biennale of Venise, Italia - "Photographies d’architectes et d’architecture", Hermès Gallery, New York and Leica Gallery, Prague
Recent publications: 2004: "René Burri, photographies", texts from Hans-Michael Koetzle, Ed. Phaidon "Magnum Stories", Ed. Phaidon 2002: Berner Blitz, Ed. Dino Simonett, Zürich 1999: "Die Deutschen", Ed. Schirmer/Mosel, Munich Photo Poche n°79, texts from Michael Koetzle, Ed. Actes Sud "Che Guevara", Photo Poche Histoire n°1, texts from François Maspéro
