Kim Il Sung, President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, surrounded by bodyguards, drinks a glass of rice wine with a high personality of the Chinese government at a reception in the presidential palace on the occasion of his 80th birthday, April 15, 1992
Maker
Bessard, Pierre
Date1992
MediumInkjet print
Dimensionsoverall: 16 in x 48 in
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2015:243
About the ArtistPierre Bessard works in photography primarily as a reporter and publisher. On assignment as a photojournalist, Bessard had the rare opportunity to capture the working-class people and government officials in North Korea. Contrary to images produced by the government, his black-and-white photographs portray the artist’s encounters during his travels. Pierre Bessard has lived in France, China, and Korea. He has worked as a photo reporter for international press agencies worldwide such as AFP, as the Head of Photography at VSD magazine, as a documentary producer at CAPA/ARTE, and as a photojournalist at REA news agency. Bessard has published two monographs with Blue Kingfisher, Behind China’s Growth in 2008 and Wuhan Boiler Company Workers in 2011. These photographs were part of a 2015 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography titled North Korean Perspectives.
