National Geographic

WOMEN: A Century of Change

​​The exhibition showcases photographs from the itinerant gallery “Women: A Century of Change” held by the National Geographic Society. Iconic reportage photographs and portraits have been selected from National Geographic’s unparalleled archive which spans over nine decades. These photos show the past and future of women from around the world, their daily lives, hopes, wisdom, and beauty. The Polish exhibition includes inspiring portraits of Wanda Rutkiewicz, Krystyna Kozioł and Anna Gumsley.

Since its foundation in 1888, the National Geographic Society has collected photographs documenting both the everyday life of different societies and cultures and the great heroic feats of modern heroes. All of these moments form a one-of-a-kind chronicle in which the figures of women portrayed over the course of a century stand out prominently.

The captivating exhibition “Women: A Century of Change”, scheduled to be held in Poland in August, is based on this unparalleled collection and many years of work of photographers. Iwona El Tanbouli-Jabłońska, curator and artistic director of the National Geographic Magazine Poland, has selected 30 timeless snapshots that collectively narrate inspiring stories of women of different nationalities and professions, living in different social and cultural contexts. We will see here both previously unpublished photos and the legendary photograph in which Steve McCurry captured a green-eyed Afghan girl.

In the portrait gallery, we will come across e.g. Wanda Rutkiewicz, one of the first women to conquer the world of Himalayan mountaineering; her portrait can be found in the “Women of Power” section. The photograph comes from the private collection of photographer Ewa Abgarowicz. Alongside Rutkiewicz, we will also see Krystyna Kozioł and Anna Gumsley, researchers whose courage and perseverance in academic work can be an inspiration to all.