‘I got it through ignorance’: photographer John Minihan on capturing his iconic portrait of Samuel Beckett

On the eve of an exhibition of his works in the National Gallery of Ireland, the photographer looks back at his most celebrated shots

John Minihan – Irish photographer on climbing Nelson’s Column

Acclaimed photographer John Minihan has always felt something of an outsider, and feels he was blackballed by the Irish arts establishment. But that never got in his way. If anything, it added to his life.

The word “iconic” is abused and over-used, but Minihan’s work is exactly that. His image of Samuel Beckett captured the craggy-faced writer of Waiting for Godot in his favourite Parisian cafe, an ashtray overflowing with Gauloises cigarette butts and his hand extended towards the camera.