René Burri – Ernesto Che GUEVARA Cuba 1963

Among the unforgettable shots of photographer René Burri, that of Ernesto Che Guevara, a cigar on his lips, looking elsewhere, which he took in Havana in 1963, remains the most famous of his work.
It was published the same year in Look magazine with a circulation of 7.3 million copies, a record for the time. Since his assassination by the Bolivian military in 1967 and even before, Che Guevara has been the object of a cult, an icon of a modern-day martyr. Four years ago he painted his portrait, created an image in the tradition of photo journalism. humanist.
“I don’t think many people know that it was me who took this photo. It now belongs to history, the photo of Che no longer belongs exclusively to me. For a photographer, that’s a great compliment. » René Burri