MAGNUM MAGNUM

Review by Melanie Chapman ·

At a certain age in life, admitting what you want to be when you grow up may feel like standing on the shore watching all boats, large and small, setting off to sea. You find yourself waving as the vessels grow more distant on the horizon and ever closer to adventures that you imagine await. Thus, this reviewer humbly declares, “When I grow up, I want to be a Magnum photographer!”

For those of us who appreciate powerful images, particularly in the documentary tradition past and present, the Magnum imprimatur represents the gold standard of photographic excellence. And for those of us who are book collectors, aspiring photographers, or value holding greatness in your hands, we can now behold the magnificent new MAGNUM MAGNUM.  At 728 pages, this hardbound Thames & Hudson publication is an impressive collection of 533 images, printed in deep blacks and whites as well as rich color, showcasing the work of 88 photographers: “acknowledged 20th century greats, modern masters and rising stars.”  

Founded as a collective agency shortly after the end of World War II by photojournalists Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David ‘Chim’ Seymour, Magnum has grown greatly in scope to represent more than one hundred and thirty of the best photographers in the world, including those from previously underrepresented countries and communities. As acknowledged in the foreword, “The world, photography, and our idea of what information is, have all changed fundamentally since Magnum was born…”. 

Demonstrating the collaborative spirit upon which the agency was founded, for this publication the editors invited Magnum photographers to choose 6 examples of their colleagues’ work and write about those selections. This approach offers the viewer an even greater appreciation for the work of photographers we may already admire such as Elliott Erwitt, Phillippe Halsman, and Susan Meiselas, while also sharing the work of younger or less familiar talents such as Olivia Arthur, Newsha Tavakolian, and Lorenzo Meloni, to name but a few.

As a stand-alone book, MAGNUM MAGNUM provides a masterclass on documenting some of the most significant events of the past and offers an encouraging glimpse into how the future will be remembered. Spend time reading the bios of each photographer, enjoy the selection of their images, and then delve deeper into the entirety of their careers with the perspective of their peers still fresh in your mind.

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Melanie Chapman is a Contributing Editor and a Southern California photographer.

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MAGNUM MAGNUM

Published by Thames & Hudson Ltd. (UK) and Thames & Hudson Inc. (USA), Updated and expanded edition published 2023, (first edition published in the UK and USA in 2007)

Essays: Olivia Arthur, Cristina De Middel, Fred Ritchin, and Brigitte Lardinois

Text by multiple authors, including: Jacob Aue Sobol, Ferdinando Scianna, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Cristina Garcia Rodero, Antoine d’ Agaata, Bruno Barbey, Raymond Depardoon, Jean Gaumy, Bruce Gilden, Harry Gruyaert, Guy Le Querrec and Patrick Zachmann

Text Editor: Jenny Wilson

Hardcover book with slipcover, Printed and bound in Italy by Graphicom, ISBN 978-0 -500-54562-1, Library of Congress Control Number 2022940575

Book Design: Martin Andersen/Andersen M Studio

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Articles and photographs published in the PhotoBook Journal may not be reproduced without the permission of the PhotoBook Journal staff and the photographer(s). All images, texts, and designs are copyright of the authors and publishers.