Abbas – 100 Photos for Press Freedom

The collection of RSF Albums of 100 Photos for Press Freedom pays tribute to the greatest photographers of the 20^th century. After others such as Robert Capa, Don McCullin and Raymond Depardon, now it’s the turn of Abbas (1944-2018), the Iranian photographer who said he “wrote with light”.
On the front in Iran, South Africa, Biafra, Northern Ireland or Afghanistan, he who joked that “Even when I photograph chaos, I try to order it” also bore witness for several decades to the relationship between human beings and their gods. His death in 2018 bereaved the world of photography of one of its greatest storytellers.
For the first time, his black and white images are compiled here in a single album.

“Such was one of Abbas’ dreams, and it is sad that it came true too late. It was a ten-year-old project, which we talked about shortly before he died in 2018. He had arrived in a cafe on the Place du Palais-Royal in Paris with a complete portfolio, as if pressed for time, as if the truth was so obvious it had to be published there and then. On our side, we were convinced that we had time. But counting on time is a dreadful mistake, and one that is paid for in cash. Abbas is no more, and although it’s a book about him, it’s a book without him.”

Christophe Deloire,
Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders