Zara Beard & Taschen Celebrate The Relaunch Of Peter Beard’s ‘The End Of The Game’

Zara Beard, director of The Peter Beard Estate and the artist’s daughter, joined Taschen to celebrate the relaunch of the photographer’s landmark book, “The End of the Game,” at The Explorers Club in New York City. For Zara and her family, the evening was deeply meaningful. Peter Beard died during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this event also served as a way to honor and celebrate the photographer.

Opening the evening, Zara said, “My father’s diaries, letters, photographs, and artworks defy categorization. They’re not simply illustrations of an argument — they are the argument. He didn’t record what he saw; he absorbed it, wrestled with it, and transformed it into something impossible to ignore.”

A panel of experts on art and nature, and longtime friends of Beard, spoke that evening; acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jon Bowermaster, art director Vincent Fremont, conservationists William James and Russell Mittermeier, and moderated by climate activist Rajiv Joshi.

“We’re not here to simply celebrate the publication of a remarkable book,” said Joshi, “We’re here because ‘The End of the Game’ continues to ask us a question that has only become more urgent with time — what we notice, what we overlook, and whether we can still understand ourselves as part of nature, not separate.” Explained Mittermeier, “’The End of the Game’ called attention to the fact that the idyllic view we had of Africa was rapidly changing. It did so before the term ‘biodiversity conservation’ even existed.”

James recalled Beard’s expedition to Lake Turkana in Kenya: “He was on a boat with a guide over these crocodile-infested waters, and it sank. He swam two miles to reach camp, and built a raft from gasoline containers and empty peanut butter jars, then paddled back two miles to rescue his guide. That’s six miles in crocodile-infested waters.” Bowermaster offered, “Peter understood the power of imagery. He documented Africa at a time when it was changing rapidly. His were among the last great photographs of a disappearing world.” Fremont concluded, “I look at Peter as a true artist because he was accepted by artists. His relationships with Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol weren’t shallow — they were deep friendships built on mutual respect.”

“The End of the Game,” first published in 1965, has expanded and been revised over several decades. It is widely regarded as an indispensable historical document of Africa’s wildlife crisis, revealing a continent depleted by human ideas of progress. Across two decades of Beard’s images of elephants, rhinos, and hippos, it captures not only what was lost but what these losses reflect on us. Now reissued by Taschen, it will include additional essays, interviews, and archival material that further contextualize Beard’s work within today’s biodiversity crisis. To pre-order “The End of the Game,” visit taschen.com.