On the Front Lines of the Libyan Revolution: Tim Hetherington's Photojournalism

In 2011, Muammar Gaddafi had been in charge in Libya for 42 years. That year, a revolutionary wave swept across North Africa and the Middle East known as the Arab Spring. The outbreak of civil war opened up Libya’s borders, and allowed many journalists to access the country for the first time in over four decades.

Photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros travelled with anti-Gaddafi fighters across the country to document the Libyan revolution. Tim’s work captures the events that were unfolding, but there is also a deeper perspective in his work that went beyond reporting on world events: he wanted to reveal the real people who were caught in this conflict.

The equipment Tim used and the photographs he shot in Libya are being preserved at IWM along with the rest of his archive. The distinct approach of his work offers a unique insight into the events of 2011 and a conflict which would lead to years of turmoil.

The Hetherington Archive will be made available for research, and highlights from the collection will added to IWM’s displays in the years to come, allowing our visitors to explore new perspectives of contemporary conflict through Tim’s exceptional vision.

Explore the Hetherington Archive: www.iwm.org.uk/history/tim-hetherington

For information about access to the Tim Hetherington collection, please contact the media sales & licensing team: www.iwm.org.uk/commercial/collections-sales-licensing


Music credit:

Interloper by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100401
Artist: incompetech.com/

Image of Gaddafi credit: This image is a courtesy of Tanja Kragujević, Stevan Kragujević's daughter, via Wikimedia Commons.