The Carlos Machado Museum in Ponta Delgada will open a new exhibition on June 11 featuring the work of internationally acclaimed French photojournalist Micheline Pelletier, whose photographic journey through the nine islands of the Azores offers a deeply personal and visually compelling portrait of the archipelago.
Titled The Azores – A Garden on the Atlantic, the exhibition will be inaugurated at 6:00 p.m. in the Museum’s Sacred Art Center and forms part of the official program of Ponta Delgada – Portuguese Capital of Culture 2026.
The exhibition brings together a selection of photographs captured during several extended stays in the Azores beginning in 2020. Over the course of those visits, Pelletier traveled throughout all nine islands during different seasons of the year, documenting the changing landscapes, natural beauty, and cultural character that define the archipelago.
Through her lens, the Azores emerge as a place where light, nature, and human presence coexist in a delicate balance. The images invite viewers to contemplate not only the islands’ extraordinary biodiversity and dramatic scenery but also their unique relationship with the Atlantic Ocean and the environmental challenges that shape their future.
Pelletier is one of France’s most respected photojournalists. During a distinguished international career, she worked with renowned agencies including Gamma and Corbis-Sygma and contributed to leading publications such as Paris Match, Time, Newsweek, Figaro Magazine, and Stern. She is currently represented by Getty Images.
Over several decades, her work has taken her across the globe, documenting major political, social, and humanitarian events. Her assignments included reporting from Cambodia in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime, Iran during the early years of the Ayatollah Khomeini government, and numerous humanitarian crises across Africa. She also became known for her acclaimed portrait series of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, exhibited and published internationally.
From 2001 to 2012, Pelletier served as an associated photographer for the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program, while also collaborating with organizations such as WWF and Wildtouch on environmental and conservation projects.
The exhibition is based on her 2023 book of the same title, originally published in France and later translated into Portuguese and English by Azorean publisher Letras Lavadas. The publication explores the Azores not only as a destination of exceptional natural beauty but also as a territory whose future is closely tied to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
For visitors, the exhibition offers an opportunity to see the islands through the eyes of an internationally recognized artist who approached the Azores with both curiosity and admiration. Her photographs capture moments of tranquility and grandeur while revealing the intimate connections between landscape, culture, and identity that make the archipelago unique.
The project is supported by the Government of the Azores, Ponta Delgada – Portuguese Capital of Culture 2026, Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée, Villa Tamaris – Centre d’Art, L’Œil en Syne, and Letras Lavadas.
Admission to the opening is free.
Born in Paris in 1953, Micheline Pelletier continues to be an influential figure in contemporary photography, combining the rigor of photojournalism with an artistic vision that seeks to illuminate both the beauty and complexity of the world. Her latest work on the Azores stands as a tribute to a region whose landscapes continue to inspire visitors from around the globe and whose story remains deeply connected to the Atlantic that surrounds it.
Translated and adapted from a story in Correio dos Açores-Natalino Viveiros-director