Magnum

In taking the temperature of the world’s political and social climate, the photographers of Magnum offer us a vision of the world on the cusp of the beginning of the millennium. On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the legendary group, Magnum photo agency again addresses the world in an album of stunning contemporary photography from around the globe.

The period following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 has seen the triumph of American capitalism at one extreme and the resurgence of ancient blood feuds at the other. In this major work, Magnum identifies individual points of human experience – north and south, east and west – engaging with the thrust of human history in different degrees: some photographers tackle dramatic events head-on in the traditional manner of the concerned photographer, others choose subjects and aesthetic viewpoints that are entirely personal.

The book is constructed around a sequence of photo essays and texts selected by photographers ranging from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Magnum’s newest recruits. Many images have not previously been published. magnum° is introduced by historian, broadcaster and cultural commentator Michael Ignatieff.

As intellectually stimulating as the volume is aesthetically arresting, this album signifies a striking tour de force, celebrating the history of Magnum through an intensive retrospective on the recent history of our world.