Magnum Manifesto

(Hardback)

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Description

This landmark book celebrates the 70th anniversary of the world's greatest photographic agency, Magnum Photos. Offering a fresh and insightful view of the agency's history and archive, it takes an analytical look at the work of Magnum's photographers, and provides an understanding of what it is that makes Magnum Photos so different, so special and so great. Author and curator Clment Chroux, together with Clara Bouveresse, demonstrates how Magnum Photos owes its pre-eminence to the ability of its photographers to encompass and navigate the points between photography as art object and photography as documentary evidence. A Magnum photograph can be expressive and bear witness at the same time. The book is organized into three main parts: Part I (1947-1968) views the Magnum archive through a humanist lens, focusing on post-war ideals of commonality and utopianism. Part II (1969-1989) shows a world fragmenting, with a focus on subcultures, minorities and outsiders. Part III (1990-2017) charts the ways in which Magnum photographers have captured - and continue to capture - a world in flux and under threat. Featuring both group and individual projects, the book includes magazine spreads, newspaper articles, excerpts from books, and other valuable material, putting some of the world's most recognizable images in creative context. Complete with extensive texts, an anthology of correspondence and an agency timeline, Magnum Manifesto is an expertly curated, essential collection of images and commentary for anyone seeking the very best in photography.

Reviews

'From the wake of the war, through the Cuban revolution to the fall of the Berlin Wall and 9/11, the history of Magnum is the history of our world. Here are the images to prove it' - The Herald
'An epic tome that charts the history and cultural impact of this legendary organization' - Amateur Photographer
'An immense visual record of the second half of the 20th century many-faceted, contradictory, yet utterly compelling' - Black & White Photography
'A vital compendium of documentary photography from the past seventy years' - RA Magazine
'An absolutely essential book on the most important photographers collective the world has ever seen' - Cellophaneland
'Magnum Manifesto, published to mark the 70th anniversary of an organisation which, as the book reminds us, was named after both champagne bottles and revolvers. The pictures capture the past seven decades with a violence and effervescence worthy of that name' - Daily Telegraph
'Essential reading for anyone wanting to get beyond the myths and find out the inside story on this inspirational organization' - RPS Journal
'An important read for anyone interested in Magnums beginnings and development, indeed anyone interested in photography in any way' - Shutterhub
'The epitome of top-drawer photography' - Irish Times
'An absorbing insight to the career of some of the greatest exponents of the camera art' - State

Author Bio

Clment Chroux is senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was formerly head curator of photography at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Clara Bouveresse is a photography historian, with a PhD in art history from Paris 1 Panthon-Sorbonne University.