On 20 April, IWM London opened a major exhibition on the life and work of conflict photographer Tim Hetherington. Storyteller – which opened to coincide with the anniversary of Hetherington’s death while covering the Libyan Civil War in 2011 – was described by The Evening Standard as ‘the most important exhibition you’ll see this year’. Hetherington is very well known and loved in the photography world, but he’s not so well known to the general public, which is why this exhibition has been mounted.
© IWM
Hetherington’s approach to conflict photography was unconventional: while other photojournalists spend just weeks in war zones before moving on to the next story, Hetherington - who was awarded four World Press Photo awards and nominated for an Academy Award - took a long term approach to projects, creating work with a profoundly human focus thanks to the deep connections he developed with people over a long period of time. The PR campaign has been a particularly unusual one; I’ve been struck by how many journalists are still profoundly affected by his death, keen to honour and remember his creativity and legacy 13 years on: