Steve McCurry. Distant Horizons - the exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini

Considered one of the most acclaimed photographers of the last century, Steve McCurry will be honoured from 22 November 2025 to 12 April 2026 with an exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini in Parma, featuring all his most iconic shots.

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Steve McCurry - the photographer of humanity

Born in Philadelphia in 1950, McCurry, considered one of the most beloved photographers of the century, is known for his documentation of conflicts and human conditions. His training began at Penn State University and developed in his role as a freelance photographer in India, where he created his first portfolio. However, his career only really took off in Afghanistan, where he risked his life to document the cruelty of the conflicts there, becoming known in major international magazines such as Time and National Geographic.

                      Child embraced by mother and aunt, Rajasthan, India, 1996 - image taken from the photographer's official social media profile

His most iconic shot is undoubtedly the portrait of the green-eyed Afghan girl, whose identity was only revealed seventeen years later, published in National Geographic and which became a universal symbol of the conflict. With his portraits, Steve McCurry has become the photographer who bears witness to humanity in its entirety, managing to capture every element of the human soul through his photographic eye. 

                                                                                                                Afghan girl, Peshawar, 1985

The exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini

Scheduled from 22 November 2025 to 12 April 2026, the exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini, produced by ARTIKA in collaboration with Orion57 and the Municipality of Parma, will feature numerous photographs taken over more than forty years of McCurry's career. Curated by Biba Giacchetti, a scholar of McCurry's work, the photographs will be grouped according to the affinity of the emotions evoked by the subjects photographed, in such a way as to connect even distant worlds. 

                  Young Xhosa girls walk to school, Eastern Cape, South Africa, 2023 - image taken from the photographer's official social media profile

Viewing photography as a means of capturing the soul of individuals, the exhibition, open from 10:00 to 19:00, is a unique opportunity to analyse McCurry's work and be transported by its beauty.

Tickets and additional information

The exhibition will be accessible at the following cost:

• €14.00 - Full price
• €12.00 - Reduced price (groups, young people between 18 and 26 years old, disabled people)
• €7.00 - Reduced price for children (between 6 and 17 years old)
• Free (carers for disabled persons, tour guides and journalists with press cards)

For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Palazzo Pigorini, where the exhibition will be held, is easily accessible by bus (lines 30 or 714), underground, car or taxi.

Don't miss one of the most popular exhibitions of the year!

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