Brooklyn Museum
Gilles Peress
PhotographerKnown for:
documentary photography of political violence in Iran, Bosnia, and Rwanda
Education:
Institut d'Études Politiques, Paris; self-taught in photography
Gilles Peress joined Magnum Photos in 1974 and has spent his career documenting political violence and its aftermath - the Iranian Revolution, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the wars in Bosnia, and the genocide in Rwanda. His book Telex Iran (1984) used the physical structure of the photobook - sequencing, pacing, white space - as a form of journalistic investigation. He has collaborated with human rights investigators on projects that treat photography as legal evidence.
Gilles Peress's Gear List(1)
Leica
Connection note
Peress used Leica rangefinder cameras for his documentary work in Iran, Bosnia, and Rwanda. His Leica practice is documented in Magnum Photos interviews and accounts of his working method.
Product description
The M6, produced from 1984 to 1998, was the first M-series Leica to include a through-the-lens exposure meter. It retained the mechanical shutter and M bayonet mount of earlier cameras, maintaining full compatibility with decades of Leica M lenses.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
