Sebastião Salgado has left us in 2025 for the endless photographic pastures of the great beyond, where the light is perfect and the subjects infinite, camera in hand, no doubt. He leaves behind an immense legacy, in work and in example. The Mairie de Paris, supported by the MEP, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, is dedicating a major retrospective in his honour, a fitting tribute to a great artist, curated by his wife Lélia Wanick Salgado, the guardian of the temple. And I realise, with some surprise, that this is my eigth visit to a Salgado exhibition, from Singapore to Amsterdam to Paris, always with the same pleasure. From the Salgado of the modest beginnings to the great projects, Amazonia, Gold Mining in Brazil, Genesis, to his final work in Paris in 2024, shortly before his death, the exhibit covers his immense talent of story telling and meeting people in their own environment. Tião, as he was familiarly known, relentlessly walked the planet, capturing its beauty as well as the harshness of life for so many. He did that with humility and humanity. His legacy is immense and will continue to haunt me in the coming years. Looking forward to the next exhibition, where ever it may be. Tchau Tião, até breve!
