Gueorgui Pinkhassov was born in Moscow in 1952 and his interest in photography began while he was still at school. After studying cinematography at the VGIK (The Moscow Institute of Cinematography), he went on to work at the Mosfilm studio and then as a set photographer. In 1978, Pinkhassov joined the Moscow Union of Graphic Arts and obtained the status of an independent artist. His work was noticed by the prominent Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, who invited Pinkhassov to the set to make a reportage about his film Stalker (1979).
Pinkhassov moved permanently to Paris in 1985 and joined Magnum Photos three years later. He works regularly for the international press, particularly for Geo, Actuel and The New York Times Magazine. His book, Sightwalk, explores individual details, through reflections or particular kinds of light, often approaching abstraction.
