Abbas Attar (; full name: ''ʿAbbās ʿAṭṭār''; 29 March 1944 – 25 April 2018), better known by his

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

Abbas, was an Iranian

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who uses a camera to make photographs. Duties and types of photograp ...

known for his

photojournalism Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in the 1970s, and for his extensive essays on religions in later years. He was a member of

Sipa Press Sipa Press is a French photo agency based in Paris. Overview It was founded in 1973 by the Turkish news photographer and photojournalist Gökşin Sipahioğlu together with American writer Phyllis Springer, concentrating their focus on photojourn ...

from 1971 to 1973, a member of

Gamma Gamma (; uppercase , lowercase ; ) is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter normally repr ...

from 1974 to 1980, and joined

Magnum Photos Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices in Paris, New York City, London and Tokyo. It was founded in 1947 in Paris by photographers Robert Capa, David Seymour (photographer), Davi ...

in 1981.

Career

Attar, an Iranian transplanted to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, dedicated his photographic work to the political and social coverage of the developing southern nations. Since 1970, his major works have been published in world magazines and include wars and revolutions in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

, the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, and

with an essay on

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. From 1978 to 1980, he photographed the revolution in Iran, and returned in 1997 after a 17-year exile. His book ''iranDiary'' 1971–2002 (2002) is a critical interpretation of its history, photographed and written as a personal diary. From 1983 to 1986, he travelled throughout

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, photographing the country as if he were writing a novel. An exhibition and a book, ''Return to Mexico, journeys beyond the mask'' (1992), which includes his travel diaries, helped him define his

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

in photography. From 1987 to 1994, he photographed the resurgence of

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

from the

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. His book and exhibition ''Allah O Akbar, a journey through militant Islam'' (1994) exposes the internal tensions within Muslim societies, torn between a mythical past and a desire for

modernization Modernization theory or modernisation theory holds that as societies become more economically modernized, wealthier and more educated, their political institutions become increasingly liberal democratic and rationalist. The "classical" theories ...

and democracy. The book drew additional attention after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001. When the year 2000 became a landmark in the universal calendar, Christianity was the symbol of the strength of Western civilization. ''Faces of Christianity, a photographic journey'' (2000) and a touring exhibit, explored this religion as a political, a ritual and a spiritual phenomenon. From 2000 to 2002 he worked on

Animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

. In our world defined by science and technology, the work looked at why irrational rituals make a strong come-back. He abandoned this project on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. His book, ''In Whose Name? The Islamic World after 9/11'' (2009), is a seven-year quest within 16 countries : opposed by governments who hunt them mercilessly, the

jihadists Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Islamic movements that seek to establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation is an efficient and theologically legit ...

lose many battles, but are they not winning the war to control the mind of the people, with the "creeping islamisation" of all Muslim societies? From 2008 to 2010 Abbas travelled the world of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, photographing with the same skeptical eye for his book ''Les Enfants du lotus, voyage chez les bouddhistes'' (2011). In 2011, he began a similar long-term project on

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

which he concluded in 2013. Before his death, Abbas was working on documenting

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

around the world. Filming for ''Abbas by Abbas (2020)'' by director Kamy Pakdel (who also served as art director for some of Abbas' books) was completed days before Abbas' death. In the film Abbas is asked how he got a particular shot and he replies “Let the photos live their lives and keep their mystery.” He died in Paris on 25 April 2018, aged 74. About his photography Abbas wrote:

My photography is a reflection, which comes to life in action and leads to meditation. Spontaneity – the suspended moment – intervenes during action, in the viewfinder. A reflection on the subject precedes it. A meditation on finality follows it, and it is here, during this exalting and fragile moment, that the real photographic writing develops, sequencing the images. For this reason a writer's spirit is necessary to this enterprise. Isn't photography "writing with light"? But with the difference that while the writer possesses his word, the photographer is himself possessed by his photo, by the limit of the real which he must transcend so as not to become its prisoner.

Books

* ''Iran, la révolution confisquée'', Clétrat, Paris, 1980 * ''Retornos a Oapan'', FCE Rio de Luz, Mexico, 1986 * ''Return to Mexico'',

W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly '' The Norton ...

, New York, 1992 * ''Allah O Akbar, voyages dans l’Islam militant'',

Phaidon Phaidon is an ancient Greek name that may refer to: *Phaedo of Elis, philosopher *''Phaedo'', one of Plato's dialogues named after Phaedo of Elis who appears in it *Phaidon Press, a publisher *'' Phaidon Design Classics'', a 2006 British three volum ...

, London, 1994 * ''Allah O Akbar, a journey through militant Islam'', Phaidon, London, 1994 * ''Viaggio negli Islam del Mondo'', Contrasto, Roma, 2002 * ''Voyage en chrétientés'', La Martiniere, Paris, 2000 * ''Faces of Christianity'', A. Abrams, New York, 2000 * ''Glaube-liebe-hoffnung'', Knesebeck, Munchen, 2000 * ''IranDiary 1971–2002'', Autrement, Paris, 2002 * ''IranDiario 1971–2005'', Sagiattore, Milano, 2006 * ''Abbas, I Grandi Fotografi di Magnum'', Hachette, Milan, 2005 * ''Sur la Route des Esprits'', Delpire, Paris, 2005 * ''The children of Abraham'', (exhibition catalogue), Intervalles, Paris, 2006 * ''In Whose Name?'',

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

, London, 2009 * ''Ali, le Combat,'' Sonatines, Paris, 2011 * ''Les Enfants du lotus, voyage chez les bouddhistes,'' De la Martinière, Paris, 2011 * ''Gods I've Seen,'' Phaidon Press Ltd, 2016

Exhibitions

*1972: ''Ganvie People,'' Falomo, Nigeria *1977: ''Retrospective,'' Galerie Litho, Tehran; Ce jour là, Galerie FNAC, Paris *1977: ''Le reportage d'agence,'' Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France *1980: ''Iran, the revolution,''

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art ( Persian: موزه هنرهای معاصر تهران), also known as TMoCA, is among the largest art museums in Tehran and Iran. It has collections of more than 3,000 items that include 19th and 20th century ...

; Darvazeh Ghar mosque, Tehran; Fundacao Cultural, Rio de Janeiro *1982: ''Citizen of the Third World,''

The Photographers' Gallery The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography. It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established ...

, London; Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, G.B. *1983: ''Retrospective,'' Consejo de Fotogragia, Mexico; Galerie ARPA, Bordeaux, France, 1983; Imagina, Almeria, Espana, 1991 *1986: ''Votez pour Moi,'' Magnum Gallery, Paris *1992: ''Return to Mexico,'' Mexico Cultural Center, Paris; Maison pour Tous, Calais; Centro Nacional de la Fotografia, Mexico, 1994 *1999: ''Islamies,'' Place Royale, Brussels; ''Islamies,''

Arab World Institute The Institut du Monde Arabe (, ''Arab World Institute''; abbr. IMA) is an organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. ...

, Paris, 1999 *1999: ''Christians,''

Moscow House of Photography The Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow (MAMM; , Москва) is a Russian state museum dedicated to the presentation and development of contemporary art related to new multimedia technologies. The museum was opened in October 2010 on the grounds of ...

, Moscow; Eberhardskirche, Stuttgart, 1999; Centre cultural français, Seoul, Korea, 1999 *2002: ''Iran, the revolution,'' The Grey Gallery, New York *2002: ''Viaggio negli Islam del mondo,'' Palazzo Vecchio, Firenze, Italia *2002: ''Visiones de l’Islam,''

La Caixa La Caixa (), also known as the "La Caixa" Foundation (), is a not-for-profit banking foundation based in Spain, with its headquarters in Barcelona since March 2025. Originally a savings bank (''caja''), it reorganized in the 2000s and 2010s: I ...

, Tarragona, Madrid, Malaga, Orense, Espana *2002: ''IranDiary,'' Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France *2003: ''Visiones de l’Islam,'' La Caixa, Girona, Granada, Pamplona and Palma de Mallorca, Espana *2004: ''Iran,''

Haus der Kulturen der Welt The Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), in English House of World Cultures, in Berlin is Germany's national center for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary arts, with a special focus on non-European cultures and societi ...

, Berlin *2004: ''Resurgence of Shias,'' Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France *2004: ''Ya Saddam,'' Noorderlicht, Leeuwarden, Hollande *2004: ''Islams,''

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, New York *2005: ''Sur la Route des Esprits,'' La Chambre Claire, Paris *2006: ''The Children of Abraham,''

Nobel Peace Center The Nobel Peace Center () in Oslo, Norway, is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents. The center is also an arena where culture and politics merge to promote involvement, debate and reflection around topics such as war, ...

, Oslo *2006: ''Islams and Shias,'' Vicino/Lontano, Udine, Italia *2007: ''The Children of Abraham,'' Groningen and Amsterdam, Holland; Institut Français de Fès, Morocco, 2008 *2008: Jardin Botanique, Brussels, Belgium *2009: ''In Whose Name?,'' Magnum Gallery, Paris *2009: Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France *2009: Gallerie Polka, Paris *2011: ''Abbas, 45 Years in Photography,''

National Museum of Singapore The National Museum of Singapore is a public museum dedicated to Singaporean art, culture and history. Located within the country's Civic District at the Downtown Core area, it is the oldest museum in the country, with its history dating back to ...

*2014: ''Faces of Christianity,'' Photography Festival, Guernsey

Honours

On March 29, 2024,

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

recognised him with a

Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...

References

* Jeffrey, Ian ''et al.'' (1997). ''The Photography Book''. London:Phaidon Press Limited.

External links