Italian photographer Vittorio Sella’s stunning images of the Himalaya are displayed for the first time in Kolkata

The mountain ranges in the Himalayas have always been a favourite place for the people of Kolkata to visit.  Capturing these frames was Italian photographer Vittorio Sella, who in the 20^th century visited the ranges many times. His photos are not only a recollection of the grandeur of the mountains, but also pioneering in terms of mountain photography. Today, curated by Hugh Thomson, an exhibition on his photographs is on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall.

Why Vittorio Sella’s photographs are pioneering in terms of mountain photography?

Named Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya brings to the people of the City of the Joy, the first time experience of viewing the largest collection of his photographs, outside the displays at Vittorio Sella Foundation. The most crucial part of his captures are the earlier recorded high altitude captures of the Kanchenjunga and K2 peaks.

Thomson who has been instrumental in curating the exhibition states, “The pioneering early photos of the Himalaya by the Italian master photographer Vittorio Sella have become famous and influential throughout the rest of the world – but have never, until now, been exhibited in India. This ground-breaking show from DAG will display his extraordinary images from the early 20th century as he travelled up into remote areas of the Karakorum and Kangchenjunga to take huge plate glass negatives and celebrate the glory of the high mountains.”

Vittorio Sella’s first encounter with the majestic peaks was in 1899, almost 126 years ago. From documents it has been gathered that Sella was accompanying British explorer Douglas Freshfield on an expedition to the Kanchenjunga. While the summit attempt was unsuccessful due to heavy snowfall, Sella could manage to capture stunning photographs that would change the way people perceived these ranges. He returned to the mountains again in 1909 where some of this beautiful and celebrated captures of the K2 was made.

Apart from capturing the frame, Sella also paid attention to techniques by prioritising the collodion process, or the process of developing large-format plates. Most of the photographs have been developed through multi-plate panoramas and despite being in the early stages of photography contain unparalleled depth and clarity of the subjects.

Adds Anurag Kumar, Secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, “Hosting this exhibition shall help in sharing Vittorio Sella’s remarkable photographs with a wide and diverse audience. This collaboration is a significant step towards making rare and historically important works from private collections accessible to all. As a museum dedicated to narrating India’s history from the seventeenth century onwards, this exhibition fits seamlessly within our vision and purpose. We believe it will resonate particularly with audiences in Eastern India, while also drawing in communities passionate about travel, photography, adventure, and mountaineering.”

What: Vittorio Sella: Photographer in the Himalaya

Where: Durbar Hall, Victoria Memorial Hall

When: till September 7, 2025

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