A visitor looks at a private collection of Stephen White, American collector, in Dali, Yunnan. [Photo/ Long Yudan]

Stephen L, an White, internationally recognized collector and curator of photography, shows his 111 private pieces of collections in Dali, Yunnan. His exhibition, Photographic History--Collection Exhibition of Stephen White, is China's first exhibition on world photographic history.

His photos have been displayed at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The photos in this exhibition date from the 1843 to 1993. What makes this show special is that it includes 86 legendary photographers such as Lewis Hine and Andy Warhol. Audiences can easily find some familiar pictures such as John Lennon & Yoko Ono and Marilyn Monroe Pink.

"All exhibits are original works in this exhibition. It is true-to-life compared with the copied ones," said Stephen White. He has been appointed the chairman of te Arts Council of the 4th Annual Dali Photography Festival in which he told the history of how photograph became an art. "Photograph was not born the favorite in the art. When I ran my galleries in 1975, only a few museum recognized it as a form of art. However, it has become one of the most popular arts."

When asked to assess his own collections, he said: "collections are independent and object individuals. I prefer series works that tell a series of stories. Collecting many works in a same theme can tell whole stories." "I like Dali and I want to come again if possible," that's why he brought his collections to Dali for the debut in China.