Magnum Manifesto

In this landmark photography publication and accompanying exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of the renowned photo agency, Clément Chéroux and Clara Bouveresse demonstrate how Magnum Photos owes its preeminence to the ability of its photographers to encompass and navigate the points between photography as art object and photography as documentary evidence.

Magnum Manifesto is organized into three parts: Part 1, Human Rights and Wrongs (1947-1968), views the Magnum archive through a humanist lens, focusing on postwar ideals of commonality and utopianism. Part 2, An Inventory of Differences (1969-1989), shows a world fragmenting, with a focus on subcultures, minorities, and outsiders. Part 3, Stories About Endings (1990-present day), 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, this volume includes magazine spreads, newspaper features, and letters, putting some of the world’s most recognizable images in creative context. Magnum Manifesto is an expertly curated, essential collection of images and commentary.