Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi opens the exhibition of international photographer Sir Don McLean and visits the Acropolis Museum in Athens

2026/04/28 3:48:55 PM

3 minutes read

Athens, April 28 / WAM / His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, opened in the Greek capital, Athens, the international photographer Sir Don McLean’s “Between Life and Death” exhibition, which is organized by the Athens International Photography Award in cooperation with the International Photography Festival “Xposure”.

His Highness toured the exhibition halls, listening to an explanation about the most prominent works on display, which span five decades of MacLean’s artistic career. His Highness was shown a group of photos documenting harsh humanitarian moments from conflict zones in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lebanon, in addition to other works focusing on peaceful scenes in the English countryside, Africa, India and Indonesia, praising the profound humanitarian message carried by MacLean’s lens, which embodies human suffering and heroism in its finest form.

The exhibition takes visitors on a profound visual journey entitled “Between Life and Death,” as it presents a selection of his most prominent works that embody human suffering and heroism at the same time, starting with his first photographs in the slums of London, all the way to scenes of bloody conflict, and then his later works that focused on beauty and peace. These works embody MacLean’s exceptional prowess in visual composition and his unique ability to capture intense human emotions, which made him gain global recognition and be given the title “Sir” in recognition of his contributions to the field of photography.

Sir Don McLean is considered an icon in the world of documentary photography. His career spanned fifty years, which he spent covering wars and humanitarian conflicts. He demonstrated exceptional courage and rare dedication to conveying human suffering in the darkest of circumstances. Despite being seriously injured and captured while covering hot spots, McLean remained loyal to his humanitarian mission.

The cooperation between the International Photography Festival “Xposure”, which is organized annually by the Sharjah Government Media Office, and the Athens International Photography Award represents an affirmation of the great role that the image plays in documenting, conveying the truth and evoking the human dimension, and a reflection of the great level that “Xposure” has achieved over the course of 10 years to be a global platform in which hundreds of photographers from different parts of the world participate, through which they tell influential visual stories and communicate their creativity to the world.

In a distinctive initiative, the exhibition of international artist Don McLean will be transformed into a permanent exhibition at the Momos-Thessaloniki Museum of Photography, in Greece, to constitute an extension of artistic cooperation and a celebration of the heroes of photography and their qualitative works.

His Highness, Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, kindly presented the international photographer Don McLean with a copy of the special edition Leica “Monochrome” camera bearing the name and logo of Sharjah, which was issued in a special and limited way on the occasion of the International Photography Festival “Xposure”.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi also visited the Acropolis Museum in Athens, touring the various halls of the museum, listening to an explanation about the history of the building and the importance of its unique archaeological site overlooking the Parthenon.

The Acropolis Museum is considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, as it extends over an area of more than 25 thousand square meters, and includes more than 4 thousand artifacts dating back to the Classical and Roman eras. The museum halls are divided into three main sections: The first section narrates daily life in ancient Athens and before the Acropolis, while the second section displays prominent sculptures from the Parthenon and parts of the famous temple frieze, while the third section includes masterpieces of the classical era, including the original “Girls of the Acropolis” sculptures of the curiae. Which dates back to the fifth century BC.

His Highness also viewed the museum’s unique architectural design, which provides a direct view of the Acropolis through its glass floors, and the modern technologies used in displaying and preserving artifacts, including the advanced natural lighting system that simulates the ideal display conditions for marble sculptures.