Peter Beard Foto: The Mega Agency/VIDA PRESS
Inimesed
20. aprill 2020, 16:37

Nimekas fotograaf leiti kolm nädalat pärast kadumist surnuna

Mäluhaigust põdenud USA tippfotograaf Peter Beard (82), kes läks oma kodust 1. aprillil kaduma, leiti nüüd metsast surnuna. "Peter suri seal, kus ta oli elanud - looduses," seisab Beardi omaste avalduses.

Aafrika ning sealse looduse hingestatud jäädvustustest tuntud Beard kadus 1. aprilli oma kodust Montaukist (New Yorgi osariik). Lähedased olid mures, sest Beardil oli diagnoositud dementsus. Kohalikud võimud korraldased laialdased otsingud, kuid need jäid tulemuseta. Alles sel pühapäeval teatas pere, et Peteri surm on kinnitust leidnud.

"Peter oli erakordne mees, kes elas erakordset elu. Ta elas elu täiel rinnal: pigistas igast päevast välja viimsegi piisa. Ta oli oma looduskires järeleandmatu, klantsimata ja ebasentimentaalne, kuid alati läbinisti ehe," vahendab People Beardi lähedaste avaldust. Ühtlasi tänavad omaksed Ida-Hamptoni politseid ning kõiki Peteri otsinguil osalenuid ning kõiki sõpru, kes on tema peret sel süngel ajal hinges toetanud. 

Beardile on sotsiaalmeedias järelehüüde kirjutanud nii Rolling Stonesi liider Mick Jagger kui ka David Bowie lesk, endine supermodell Iman. Fotograaf jäädvustas Rolling Stonesi 1972. aasta turneel ning sõbrunes Jaggeriga. "Olen mõtteis Pereri abikaasa Nejma ja tütar Zaraga," kirjutab Jagger.

Just Peter Beard oli see, kes 1975. aastal Nairobis noorukest Imanit kohtas ning tema modellikarjäärile aluse pani. "Peter avastas, pildistas ja vormis mind nii, nagu mind pole eales pildistatud," kirjutab Iman Instagramis ega jäta meenutamata lõbusat tõika: Ameerika uudisteajakirjandusele väitis Beard, et oli tõmmu iluduse leidnud Aafrika savannis lehmi karjatamas. "Tegelikult räägin ma viit keelt, olin olnud Nairobi Ülikooli politoloogiatudeng ning Somaalia diplomaadi tütar."

 
 
 
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He was found dead in the woods on Sunday, almost three weeks after he disappeared from his home in Montauk on the East End of Long Island. He was 82 and had dementia. He was last seen on March 31, and the authorities had conducted an extensive search for him. I met Peter in Nairobi in 1975 and as destiny would have it we were forever intertwined. He did discover, photographed and molded me in a way as I have never been photographed before or knew anything about modeling and have never seen a fashion magazine. He was at times exasperating as when he presented me to the American news media, Mr. Beard gleefully spun an imperial fantasy: that he had come upon me herding cattle in the African bush. In truth, I speak five languages, had been a political science student at the University of Nairobi and the daughter of a Somali diplomat. Beard’s artistic influence is easy to spot on the walls of art galleries, but his work in environmental and animal conservation was closest to his heart. “He led the way,” said Paul Theroux. “He was really the first person to chronicle the decline of wildlife—the majestic mega-fauna of East Africa, elephants, lions, cheetahs—and he did it in a characteristic way, by depicting the deaths in iconic images, and writing about his own experiences, using texts from classic books related to Africa." Even by the dashing standards of wildlife photography, his résumé was the stuff of high drama, full of daring, danger, romance and tall tales, many of them actually true. His public persona sometimes overshadowed his work, but he was an artistic pioneer and environmentalist. In a statement, Beard’s family said he “died where he lived… in nature.” “I like things that don’t look like you’re in control. It’s like life itself. You just learn how to benefit from accidents and chances that you take.” - Peter Beard My condolences to his wife Najma, daughter Zara and his family & friends. #RIP #PeterBeard

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Beardi edukusest annab aimu tõik, et 2017. aasta oksjonil müüdi tema kollaaž Kenya orvustunud gepardikutsikatest 672 500 dollariga.