The ‘Tank Man’ photograph is one of the most iconic ever, and remains a moving symbol of the June 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising and bloody crackdown in Beijing. For that picture, American photographer Jeff Widener was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Widener, then working for the Associated Press, will talk about how he eluded Chinese security, furtively positioned himself to take the photo and then had it furtively sent for transmission—and front-page display in newspapers worldwide. While covering the crackdown, Widener was almost killed when a stray rock thrown by a protester struck him in the face.
Widener also will discuss images from other major stories he covered in more than 100 countries, including the Gulf War, the Polish Solidarity movement, Khmer Rouge fighting in Cambodia, and Pope John Paul II’s visit to Papua New Guinea.
Widener has received numerous awards. He has appeared on PBS’s Charlie Rose show, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, CNN’s Anderson Cooper show, and CBS’s Sunday Morning show, and has been featured in Time magazine, The New York Times, and Smithsonian magazine.
During this event, Widener will offer autographed prints for sale.
For more on Widener, visit www.jeffwidener.com.
Former AP correspondent Peter Eng, who worked with Widener, will introduce the talk by discussing other iconic AP news images.
“The Tank Man”—A Quarter Century Later: A Talk by Jeff Widener
Saturday, May 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Entrance fee: $10
International District/Chinatown Community Center
719 8th Ave. S., Seattle
(206) 233-0042
For map and directions, click here.
To register for the talk, or for further information, email [email protected]