Sebastiao Salgado (Brazilian, b. 1944) Kuwait (Capping a Wellhead, Greater Burhan Oilfield), 1991 Gelatin silver print 11-5/8 x 17-1/4 inches (29.6 x 43.8 cm) (image) 16 x 20 inches (sheet) Embossed with photographer's blindstamp, lower margin recto. Signed, titled, and dated in pencil, verso. PROVENANCE: The Collection of Ursula Gropper; Hal Gould, circa 2000. This work is one of a series of striking images of Kuwaiti oil fires taken by Sebastião Salgado in 1991, shortly after the end of the Gulf War. The fires were deliberately started by Saddam Hussain's troops in his attempt to push up oil prices and further destabilize the region. Salgado's photographs capture vividly the blackened and ravaged desert landscape and the superhuman efforts of oil-soaked Canadian firefighters to quell these hellish infernos. There is another work from the series from this collection in the auction. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved