In this landmark photography publication and accompanying exhibition, Clement Cheroux 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. Magnum Manifesto is organized into three main parts: Part 1 (1947-1968) views the Magnum archive through a humanist lens, focusing on post-war ideals of commonality and utopianism. Part 2 (1969-1989) shows a world fragmenting, with a focus on subcultures, minorities and outsiders. Part 3 (1990-present day) charts the ways in which Magnum photographers have captured - and continue to capture - a world in flux and under threat.
