With the news of Paul Lowe’s sudden passing, we look back at some of the most important shots of his career.
The world of war photography — and peacebuilding — is still reeling from the news of British photographer Paul Lowe’s death aged 60 on the hiking trail in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles last weekend.
Lowe’s career as a photojournalist saw him cover some of the 20th century’s most important historical moments, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
However, his work during the Yugoslav Wars will likely endure the longest. Arriving in Sarajevo in 1992, as Yugoslavia was in the midst of a violent breakup, he was there for the siege of Bosnia’s capital that would last until 1996.
Unlike many other war photographers who came to the Balkans in the 1990s, Lowe chose to remain in Sarajevo and Bosnia, where he tirelessly worked on helping the newly independent post-war society come to terms with what it was forced to endure.
Here is a selection of shots from Lowe’s career, which offers incisive and sincere windows into conflict, despair, and humanity.
Paul Lowe (6 November 1963 – 12 October 2024)
