Lot 58
  • 58

STEVE MCCURRY | Dust Storm, Rajasthan, India, 1983

Estimate
450,000 - 650,000 INR
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Steve McCurry
  • Dust Storm, Rajasthan, India, 1983
  • Signed, titled, dated and numbered in ink on verso, accompanied by a certificate of authenticityEdition 80 of 90
  • Chromogenic print
  • Image: 21 ¼ x 14 in. (53.9 x 35.5 cm.) Sheet: 24 x 20 in. (60.9 x 50.8 cm.)
  • Printed 2017

Provenance

Acquired directly from the artist
David Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica

Literature

S. McCurry, South Southeast, Phaidon, London, 2000, unpaginated
W. Dalrymple, India: Steve McCurry, Phaidon, London, 2015, cover

Condition

The colours and tones in the print appear rich and bright. This print has not been inspected outside of its frame. This print is in very good condition overall as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

“It was in June and as hot as the planet ever gets. The rains had failed in this part of Rajasthan for the past thirteen years. I wanted to capture something of the mood of anticipation before the monsoon. As we drove down the road, we saw a dust storm grow, a typical event before the monsoon breaks. For miles it built into a huge frightening wall of dust, moving across the landscape like a tidal wave, eventually enveloping us like a thick fog. As it arrived the temperature dropped suddenly and the noise became deafening. Where we stopped, women and children worked on the road— something they are driven to do when the crops fail—now barely able to stand in the fierce wind, clustered together to shield themselves from the sand and dust. I tried to make pictures. The road workers didn’t even notice me. In the strange, dark-orange light and the howling wind, battered by sand and dust, they sang and prayed. Life and death seemed to hang in precarious balance.” (Steve McCurry quoted in ‘Go Behind the Lens with Steve McCurry’, Rubin Museum, 17 December 2015, http://rubinmuseum.org/blog/go-behind-the-lens-with-steve-mccurry) This photograph was captured during McCurry’s 1983 photographic venture in India for National Geographic. On a taxi journey between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer, the photographer witnessed a group of women become engulfed in a wall of dust. Struck by the instinctive way in which the women huddled together and protected one another amidst the deafening sand storm, McCurry sought to capture the moving scene. In the current work, the haze of the dust is dramatically contrasted with the crisp and vibrant reds of the women’s saris. The dark trees and indistinct horizon line lend the photograph a haunting quality.