Passing of photographer Sebastião Salgado

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has learned with profound sorrow of the passing today of photographer Sebastião Salgado.

Acknowledged as one of the foremost figures in contemporary art, Sebastião Salgado devoted his career to upholding human dignity and raising awareness of social and environmental issues. Through works of great impact, such as Workers, Exodus, Genesis and Amazônia, he offered the world a deeply humanist perspective on labourers, migrants, Indigenous peoples and endangered ecosystems.

His work was decisive in fostering international awareness of the need to protect both human rights and the environment, particularly in defence of the Amazon and its peoples.

Beyond his immense artistic contribution, Salgado leaves a legacy of environmental stewardship. Together with his wife and lifelong partner, Lélia Wanick Salgado, he founded Instituto Terra, which has restored thousands of hectares of Atlantic Forest in Minas Gerais, a tangible proof of their commitment to sustainability and ecological regeneration.

On behalf of the many friends he cultivated at the Itamaraty over the years, Minister Mauro Vieira and Secretary-General Maria Laura da Rocha pay tribute to the life and work of Sebastião Salgado and extend their sincerest condolences to Lélia Wanick Salgado and their sons, Juliano and Rodrigo.