Steve McCurry’s New Book Features Over 100 Unseen Photographs

Portrait of a Main in Kashmir by Steve McCurry

Gulmarg, Kashmir, 1999

For over 40 years, renowned photographer Steve McCurry has traveled the world to capture humanity in all its forms. With so many miles under his belt, one can only imagine how deep his photo archive must run. In his new book titled In Search of Elsewhere, McCurry has dipped into his vast archive and culled a moving selection of imagery that has never before been seen.

Spanning from 1981 to 2019, the photographs are a spectacular look at the world and at McCurry's photography. Over a hundred images move from India to Myanmar to the United States and reveal the human spirit of each culture. Presented without captions, the photographs are laid bare in a minimalist layout for the reader to observe in peace. And it's in this observation that one can truly appreciate McCurry's skill at capturing the soul of his subjects.

Given that the photographs were taken over the course of many years, it's interesting to see how they act as a time capsule, crystalizing society in specific moments. This was something that was particularly meaningful for McCurry.

“We started a major scanning project about five years ago,” he shares with My Modern Met. “Tens of thousands of images that had never been seen are now in our digital archive and available. It has been very gratifying to see the work from bygone eras and from places that are either inaccessible or that have been affected by climate change, war, innovation, and other disruptions. They provide primary source material on the way things were.”

In Search of Elsewhere is a triumphant voyage around the world and, specifically, a magnificent documentation showing how ordinary people live. For McCurry, the book is also an opportunity to show that, no matter how divided we may seem, as a population, there are more things that bind us together.

“It is our hope that people will discover that no matter the changes in our environment, climate, the built environment, and human activity, it will be clear that people are still basically the same as they navigate sea changes in their ways of life,” says McCurry.

In Search of Elsewhere will be available on November 24, 2020 online and in bookstores.

Steve McCurry's new book contains over 100 never-before-seen photographs from the past 40 years.

Schoolroom in Togo by Steve McCurry

Lome, Togo, 2017

Portrait of a Boy from Afghanistan by Steve McCurry

Kunduz, Afghanistan, 2002

Iceberg in Antarctica by Steve McCurry

Antarctica, 2019

Children Doing Cartwheels on the Beach in Madagascar by Steve McCurry

Belo Sur Mer, Morondava, Madagascar, 2019

Older Woman with Purple Hair in Havana by Steve McCurry

Havana, Cuba, 2010

Wadi Rum Jordan by Steve McCurry

Wadi Rum, Jordan, 2019

Two French Nuns Chatting by Steve McCurry

Lourdes, France, 1989

Shops in Kolkata by Steve McCurry

Kolkata, India, 2018

Running on the Beach in Rio de Janeiro by Steve McCurry

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2009

In Search of Elsewhere is available from November 24, 2020.

Cover of Steve McCurry Book

Steve McCurry: Website | Facebook | Instagram

All images ©  Steve McCurry, Long Island City, NY. My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Laurence King.

Related Articles:

Steve McCurry’s Most Beautiful and Powerful Photo Stories

Steve McCurry Shares His Philosophy on What Makes a Good Portrait

Interview: Steve McCurry Captures Human Connection to Animals Around the World

Steve McCurry Retrospective Presents 150 Striking Portraits of People and Cultures Around the World

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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