Sebastiao Salgado. Genesis Hardback

Sebastião Salgado’s masterpiece Genesis is the result of an epic eight-yearexpedition to rediscover the mountains, deserts, and oceans, the animals andpeoples that have so far escaped the imprint of modern society—the land and life of a still pristine planet. The Genesis project, along with the Salgados’ Instituto Terra, is dedicated toshowing the beauty of our planet, reversing the damage done to it, andpreserving it for the future. On over 30 trips—by foot, light aircraft, boats, canoes, and even balloons,through extreme temperatures and in sometimes dangerous conditions—Salgado hascreated a collection of images showingus nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in such intense beauty it takes ourbreath away.

The reach is truly global. Through Salgado’s lens,one discovers the animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; the penguins,sea lions, cormorants, and whales of the South Atlantic; Brazilian alligatorsand jaguars; and African lions, leopards, and elephants.

We travel overicebergs in the Antarctic, the volcanoes of Central Africa, the ravines of theGrand Canyon, and the glaciers of Alaska.

We encounter the Stone Age Korowaipeople of West Papua, nomadic Dinka cattle farmers in Sudan, Nenets and theirreindeer herds in the Arctic Circle, as well as the Mentawai jungle communitieson islands west of Sumatra. In characteristic monochrome,Salgado’s painterly notes are perfectly tuned to these sublime scenes,capturing sweeping aerial panoramas as much as the most intricate details andtextures, from a reptilian skin to the fur coat of the Nenet people of northernSiberia.

The exquisitely reproduced images are arranged not by theme but ratherconceived as a journey around the globe, immersing them in Salgado’s vision of the Earth’s mesmerizingscale, order, and beauty.INSTITUTO TERRAFounded in 1998 at Aimorés in the state of Minas Gerais, Instituto Terra is the culmination of Lélia Wanick Salgado and Sebastião Salgado’s lifelong activism and work as cultural documentarians.

Through a scientific program of planting and raising saplings, the organization has performed a miraculous reforestation of the once infertile region and furthered the Salgados’ mission of reversing the damage done to our planet.

TASCHEN is proud to reach carbon zero status through our continued partnership.