Sebastiao Salgado Gold

"What is it about a dull yellow metal that drives men to abandon their homes, sell their belongings and cross a continent in order to risk life, limbs and sanity for a dream?” – Sebastião SalgadoWhen Sebastião Salgado was finally permitted to explore Serra Pelada in September 1986, after years of denial by Brazil’s military regime, he was unprepared for the extraordinary scene he encountered on this secluded hilltop bordering the Amazon jungle. Before him lay an immense pit, approximately 200 meters wide and deep, bustling with tens of thousands of nearly unclothed men. Half of them were hauling bags weighing up to 40 kilograms up wooden ladders, while the other half were sliding down muddy embankments back into the cavernous hole. Their bodies and faces bore the ochre hue, dyed by the iron ore from the soil they unearthed. After gold surfaced in one of its streams in 1979, Serra Pelada was likened to the mythical El Dorado, emerging as the largest open-air gold mine in the world, with about 50,000 miners working under harsh conditions. Nowadays, Brazil’s most fervent gold rush exists only in memory, sustained by a few joyful recollections, numerous remorseful reflections—and the compelling photographs of Sebastião Salgado.During an era when color photography dominated magazine spreads, Salgado’s decision to use black and white was daring. Yet, the Serra Pelada collection would signal a renewed appreciation for monochrome photography, a tradition established by distinguished photographers like Edward Weston, Brassaï, Robert Capa, and Henri Cartier-Bresson in the early and mid-20th century. When Salgado’s work appeared in The New York Times Magazine, it prompted a unique reaction: silence. As photo editor Peter Howe recalled, “In my entire career at The New York Times, I never saw editors respond to any set of pictures as they did to Serra Pelada.”In today’s world where photography intersects with art and digital alteration, Salgado’s portfolio resonates with a profound, timeless quality, conveying an immediacy that feels strikingly current. While the Serra Pelada mine has long since closed, the compelling drama of the gold rush remains alive in these images. This book presents Salgado’s complete Serra Pelada portfolio in high-quality reproductions, complemented by a foreword from the photographer himself and an essay by Alan Riding.