"Magnum is a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually."

Henri Cartier-Bresson

 

Magnum Photos is a photographic cooperative, agency and archive, owned by its photographer members. With a membership made of up elite storytellers in the sphere where photographic art meets photojournalism, Magnum chronicles our world. With offices in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo, and members living and working in all corners of the globe, Magnum is home to the images that shape the way we think, the way we remember and the way we see.

 

Founded in 1947, two years after the apocalypse called the Second World War ended, Magnum Photos was born. The four founding members—Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David "Chim" Seymour—were scarred by the conflict, but motivated by both a sense of relief that the world had somehow survived, and a curiosity to see what was still there.

 

They created Magnum to reflect their independent natures as people and as photographers. The cooperative was formed to maintain photographer authorship, to protect copyright, and to establish storytelling with the idiosyncratic mix of reporting and artistry that continues to define Magnum today." Magnum photo