The latest Square Print Sale from Magnum Photos sees photographers from the iconic agency partner with their peers on Vogue magazine under the theme of 'Solidarity'.
Running for seven days, the sale means that anyone can own a museum-quality print from some of the biggest names in photography for just $100.
50% of the proceeds from the Solidarity sale will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
The 'Solidarity' theme challenges participating photographers to reflect upon the power of togetherness in our tumultuous times; over 100 images have been curated for the sale.
Which prints are available in this sale?
Photographers featuring in this sale include Christopher Anderson, Peter van Agtmael, Eve Arnold, Miranda Barnes, Matt Black, June Canedo de Souza, Bruce Davidson, W. Eugene Smith, Harry Gruyaert, Yael Martinez, Eli Reed, Richie Shazam, Alec Soth, Newsha Tavakolian, Larry Towell, and many more.
Click here to see all the images in the sale – but you’ll need to make your choices quickly, as the sale only runs for a week, until Sunday 2 August at 6PM EST (10pm GMT).
Magnum square prints are printed on 6 x 6in (15.24 x 15.24cm) archival paper; the image size is 5.5 inches (14cm) on the longest side.
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Each print costs $100 and is signed or estate-stamped, and will not be made available outside the sale window.
Buy a collectable print for just $100
The limited availability period makes these photographs very collectable – like this distinctive portrait of President Barack Obama from 2016.
In fact, says its photographer Christopher Anderson, it was one of the last photos taken of Obama in office.
“It feels a little silly to say that it was one of my more memorable moments as a photographer. Of course, it was.
“And full disclosure: I voted for Barack Obama and I would vote for him again if I could, so I admit I am not the most objective.
“But I was sincerely struck by the way he treated everybody in the room with dignity, for what it is worth. I hope this portrait reflects something about the humanity of the person that I encountered.”
Choose a classic black and white Magnum photo
The 'Solidarity' theme is showcased in so many different ways in the sale. Some standout examples include Eve Arnold's 1960 image of American civil rights activists being trained not to react to provocation.
And there's Bruce Davidson's 'The Selma March', taken in Alabama, USA.
“This photograph was taken during the 1965 protest marches from Selma to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery," notes the photographer.
“Martin Luther King Jr. led a group of African-American, non-violent marchers to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression.
“This was a watershed moment in the US civil rights movement. I came across this young demonstrator, wrapped in a flag, protesting racism; behind him is Father Smith of San Antonio, a white catholic priest who protested against injustice for most of his life.”
Other leading Magnum photographers from this period represented in the sale include Elliot Erwitt, Leonard Freed, Bob Henriques and Phillip Jones Griffiths.
Many contemporary works also feature
And a contemporary flavor is offered by Peter van Agtmael's image of people showing solidarity after the killing of George Floyd earlier this year.
“When I first arrived in Minneapolis, Cup Foods, where George Floyd was killed by police, was a place of silence and mourning," he recalls.
“As the days continued, the feeling shifted. It was still a space for people to reflect on the horrific death, but it also became a place where people made art, served free food, collected goods for the needy, and even partied after months of confinement.”
Alongside the work of Magnum members, a range of images created by Vogue photographers appears in the sale, including Daniel Arnold, Miranda Barnes, Deanna Templeton and Richie Shazam.
And there's Sharon Lockhart's 'Is a New Deal Coming?', an image created as a homage to an American news photo taken in the early 1930s.
“As a response to the situation we faced in the spring of 2020, I made a set of 14 images with 14 different sashes with the words contagion, apprehension, isolation, digitization, termination, stratification, recession, depression, ruination, destitution, compassion, conviction, organization, and solidarity," she says.
“Each image appeared on Instagram linked to an article in The New York Times that responded to the word.”
Essential info about this Square Print Sale
‘Solidarity’, Magnum’s Square Print Sale in collaboration with Vogue and the NAACP, runs from Monday 27 July at 9AM EST (1pm GMT) to Sunday, 2 August, 6PM EST (10pm GMT).
Visit the Magnum Shop to see all the images in the sale – but don't leave it too late, because this is a limited time offer!
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