Rene Burri

Born in 1933, Swiss photographer Rene Burri currently lives and works in Zurich and Paris. He studied at Zurich's School of Applied Arts before working as a documentary film-maker between the years of 1953-55 and began using a Leica camera during his military service. He first received international interest after publishing one of his first reportages in Life magazine, about deaf-mute children. 

After becoming an associate of Magnum in 1955, he spent the following year traveling extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East and Latin America with various photographic series from the trip being published in Swiss periodicals. It was for a certain periodical, 'Du' magazine, that he photographed artist personalities such as Picasso, Le Corbusier and Giacometti. Among others, one of his most recognisable images is that of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, taken during an interview with an American journalist. 

He became a full member of Magnum in 1959 and participated in the creation of Magnum films in 1965, going on to spend 6 months in China creating the documentary, 'The Two Faces of China' for the BBC. Alongside photography, he also creates drawings and collages. In 1998 he won the Dr. Erich Salomon Prize from the German Association of Photography and exhibits worldwide.