Trogen, Saint Gallen, 1956: Hungarian refugees wait to be placed in new homes.
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Paris, 1950
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Che Guevara in Havana, Cuba, 1963
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Mexico City, house designed by Luis Barragan and Andres Casillas, 1976
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Old train station in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany, 1962
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1960
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Brasilia, Brazil: skyscraper designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa, 1960
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Le Corbusier in Paris, 7th arrondissement, 1959
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Soviet War Memorial at Treptow, East Berlin, 1959
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Pablo Picasso in Cannes, 1957
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
Peace Hotel, Shanghai, 1989
Rene Burri / Magnum Photos
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Swiss photographer René Burri, who died on October 20, 2014, at the age of 81, was known for his portraits of revolutionary hero Che Guevara and artist Pablo Picasso.
Burri, who was born in Zurich in 1933, was hired by the prestigious Magnum agency in 1955, and travelled around the world documenting the major political events of the 20th Century.
Burri was only 13 years old when he photographed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill standing in an open-top car during a visit to Switzerland in 1946.
The photographer’s famous photo of cigar-chomping Che was taken in 1963 during a trip to Cuba. He also captured a number of artists, including sculptor Alberto Giacometti and architect Le Corbusier.
Burri’s photographs received a number of awards and were presented in numerous exhibits, including one at the Museum for Design in his home town of Zurich in 2013.
In 2011 the photographer was awarded the Swiss Press Photo Life Time Achievement Award by the Foundation Reinhardt von Graffenried.
This gallery shows some of the highlights from Burri’s career.
His longtime friend, Bernese photographer Michael von Graffenried, confirmed Burri’s death on Monday. The 81-year-old Burri died in Zurich.
(Copyright: Rene Burri / Magnum Photos)
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Photographer René Burri has died at 81
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Burri, who was born in Zurich in 1933 and later moved to Paris, was hired by the prestigious Magnum agency in 1955, and travelled around the world documenting the major political events of the 20th Century. Burri was only 13 years old when he photographed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill standing in an open-top car…
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Burri studied at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich. He started working as a documentary filmmaker and using a Leica camera while performing his military service. His life changed forever when he joined the prestigious photography agency Magnum Photos in 1955, introduced by Swiss photographer Werner Bischof. His first reportage appeared in ‘Life’ magazine…
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swissinfo.ch spoke to the Zurich-born artist and also looked at his style, influence and legacy. “A close friend once told me: ‘You know, you’re not a bad photographer, but you’ve done too much’,” Burri told swissinfo.ch. “And he was right.” He explained how his curiosity had no boundaries – whenever something was happening, he found…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.