“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” was one of the maxims of Robert Capa, who along with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Chim, and George Seymour, found Magnum photos in 1947.
This Magnum Square Print Sale is dedicated to that tenant of Robert Capa’s photographic faith. A man who, at just 25, was already being referred to as the greatest war photographer of all time for his work covering conflict in the 1930s, and who died documenting conflict in Indochina in the 50s.
In-between he set up Magnum photos in 1947. As part of its 70th birthday celebrations this year, they’ve been busy organising Print Sales, offering affordable photographic prints from their archive, dedicated to each of the four founders of the agency, and showing their influence on photojournalism today.
So, closer? Robert Capa, in the water, on D-Day, as the allies landed on the beaches (famously, a tea boy accidentally destroyed all but 11 of the pictures he made then) or Martin Parr, up close and personal on a different kind of beach, shooting sun worshippers in Argentina. Or there’s street photography in New York and Mexico, by Bruce Davidson and Alex Webb, farmers and cows in Cambodia, and the Beatles on the set of A Hard Day’s Night.
Most famously though? Stuart Franklin’s image of the white shirted man, carrying two shopping bags, defying tanks in Tiananmen Square. Another different kind of closeness. Shot from a hotel window on a telephoto lens as the Chinese government cracked down on pro-democracy protestors. Closeness, not to subject, but to history.
Read: This photographer is redefining the male gaze for today’s post-binary world.
Magnum’s Closer square print sale runs from Monday 5 June 2017 at 8AM EST until Friday, 9 June 2017 at 6PM EST. Signed and estate stamped, museum quality, 6×6″ prints from over 70 artists will be available for $100, for 5 days only, from shop.magnumphotos.com.
Credits
Text Felix Petty
Images courtesy Magnum