Until now, we mainly identified Chim with a few famous photographs taken during the Spanish Civil War, rediscovered with those his companions Robert Capa and Gerda Taro in the Mexican Suitcase. The most famous among them: a woman with her eyes turned skyward, breastfeeding her child in a crowd.
With the new exhibition devoted to him at the International Center of Photography, we rediscover the full extent of his humanist body of work. The retrospective follows the career of David Seymour, born Dawid Szymin in 1911 in Warsaw, with a focus on his political commitments. Since his beginnings in 1930, Seymour shot stories for magazines in Paris, including Regards, even before his close collaborators Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson. In addition to his covers and other work for the magazine, there are some of his most famous works, including those documenting the rise of the Popular Front in France, the postwar reconstruction of Europe, the birth of Israel and, of course, the Spanish Civil War. There are more than 150 black-and-white photographs combining intellectual acumen and emotional intelligence: “Chim was a keen observer of European political affairs, from the beginnings of the antifascist struggle to the rebuilding of countries ravaged by World War II,” explains curator Cynthia Young. “Although war formed the backdrop to much of his reportage, Chim was not known primarily for his war photography. Through his images of this period of radical upheaval, he emerges as a thoughtful reporter and a creator of elegant compositions of startling grace and beauty.”
Later the exhibition, shows Chim turning into a celebrity photographer: Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman and Sofia Loren. This touching series of portraits elegantly represents men, women and children in natural settings. Until his death in 1956, Chim worked in color photography, producing a few astonishing images, like these children playing on Omaha Beach in 1947. Finally, Chim is getting the recognition he deserves.
Jonas Cuénin
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
On view from January 18, 2013 through May 5, 2013
International Center of Photography
1133 Ave of the Americas #1A
New York, NY 10036
USA
T. (212) 857-0000
