"The Terror of War": 50 Years Later
1973 Spot News Photography winner Nick Ut will join another legendary photographer of the Vietnam War, 1972 Feature Photography winner David Hume Kennerly, acclaimed war photographer James Nachtwey, and AP photographer Maye-E Wong for a discussion about war and photography.
The iconic photo’s subject, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, will be a special guest and the discussion will include photographs selected by each photographer. Moderated by David Friend.
On June 8, 1972, Nick Ut, then a 20-year-old photographer for the Associated Press, strapped on four cameras – two Nikons and two Leicas – and headed out on Highway 1, north of Saigon. Just after noon he noticed a South Vietnamese Skyraider drop four napalm bombs. Villagers scattered and he heard a young girl screaming, “Nong qua! Nong qua! – Too hot! Too hot!” He looked through his viewfinder and saw that the girl – an eight-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc – had pulled off her burning clothes and was running naked down the street.
“The Napalm Girl,” as the photograph quickly became known, appeared in newspapers around the world, including A1 in the New York Times on June 9th. It became, almost immediately, an iconic image that for many symbolized the failures of the war in Vietnam. Nick Ut won a Pulitzer Prize for photography in 1973. Today, the photograph speaks to the horror of war overall, and connects viscerally to the images of civilian casualties coming out of Ukraine.
General Admission Tickets: $35 (includes museum admission)
Member Tickets: $10
Patron Members: Free with RSVP
Space is limited for Patron RSVPs to general admission events.
Members are able to get a limited number of discounted tickets on a first come, first served basis.
This in-person event is scheduled for Monday, June 6th at 7:00 PM at Fotografiska New York (281 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010). It is easily accessible from the 23rd Street local stops of the IRT Lexington Avenue, BMT Broadway, IND Sixth Avenue and PATH subway lines; the M23 crosstown bus line; and the BM3/BM4 express bus lines.