On the occasion of Magnum’s 70th anniversary and Aperture Foundation’s 65th, the two organizations have joined forces to present Great Journeys, the final in the cycle of four Square Print Sales inspired by each of Magnum’s founders. Ahead of the sale, The Eye of Photography asked collector W.M. Hunt to select his favorite work from the selection of 6×6 inch prints available for purchase from these artists.
If Eartha Kitt had been a photography lover, she might have sung Santa Baby like this:
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight’.
Santa baby, and fill my stocking …’
with your bundle of great $100 photographs.
Santa will not have to do much heavy lifting this holiday.
The Unseen Eye can do all of his holiday shopping at the current Magnum – Aperture “Great Journeys” print sale. For five days, we can buy specially produced prints by great Magnum and Aperture photographers for $100 each. Both organizations are having major anniversaries, 70 and 65 years respectively and this is their inspired way of celebrating.
In the same manner that Visual AIDS has organized its “Postcards from the Edge” benefits for almost 20 years, this is a simple idea of making good art available inexpensively for a good cause.
Loosely organized around the idea of “Great Journeys”, literal and symbolic, the arc of photo history is traced from David Hurn’s cosmic invitation to Come See the world to Mark Power’s enigmatic and infinite seascape Wight. Saturday 18, February, 1995.
Both of these images are on the Eye’s shopping list.
Elliott Erwitt says “For me, any photographic journey has the possibility of being great. Even if the journey is going to the corner store to buy a quart of milk. Photographic opportunities are everywhere. From the exotic to the banal. The result depends on a photographer’s curiosity, perception and luck.”
Larry Fink’s take on this is little lighter with his image of a man seen from behind seeming to look into a spare horizon, “the rock, air and space ahead are metaphors for inner freedom, floating along into infinity…”
Paolo Ventura responds with his tightrope walker’s existential journey overhead: “I saw my first and only tightrope walker at the age of 10. I stared upward, fascinated and shaken by the thought that he could fall. He didn’t. It was a great disappointment. Years later I thought about that tightrope walker, the concentration needed to walk from building to building, up there on his wire—like a metaphor to not lose one’s way in life.”
“Great Journeys” is Magnum’s Square Print Sale in Partnership with Aperture. It runs from 9am EST Monday 30 October until 6pm EST Friday 3 November 2017. Signed and estate stamped, museum quality, 6×6” prints from over 100 artists are available for $100 for 5 days only. Go to shop.magnumphotos.com.
What a deal.
There are prints of iconic images like Bruce Davidson’s, Wales, United Kingdom, 1965 or Dennis Stock’s James Dean, Times Square 1955, George Rodger, The Nubas, Kordofan, Sudan, 1949 and David “Chim” Seymour, Bernard Berenson 1955. There is also work by Werner Bischof, Cornell Capa, Herbert List, and Inge Morath.
Magnum has always been distinguished by its great color photographers like Bruno Barbey, Harry Gruyaert, David Alan Harvey, Miguel Rio Branco and Alex Webb.
Consider Costa Manos, Ferris Wheel Man, Los Angeles, California, USA. 2001 © Constantine Manos / Magnum Photos
This is great stuff.
Included is a younger generation of Magnum contributors like Cristina De Middel, Bieke Depoorter, Diana Markosian, and Emin Özmen. These may not be household names at this decisive moment, but time will tell.
Aperture has similarly invited artists it has published like LaToya Ruby Frazier, Pieter Hugo, Justine Kurland, Hellen van Meene, Erwin Olaf, Matthew Pillsbury, Richard Renaldi, Vivienne Sassen, Awol Erizku, Jamel Shabazz, and Hank Willis Thomas and the very great journeyers Todd Hido and Vik Muniz.
Here is the whole history of great 20th and 21st Century photography available for $100 per picture. Inspired.
Here is the Eye’s shopping list:
A sign in the Arizona desert. It connotes that very shortly the entire area will be developed with housing and shopping malls. Arizona, USA. 1979 © David Hurn / Magnum Photos
The Road to Somme. France. 2000 © Don McCullin courtesy Aperture
Wight. Saturday 18, February, 1995. Northwesterly backing southwesterly 6 or 7, increasing gale 8 for a time. Showers then rain. Good becoming moderate or poor. From the series, The Shipping Forecase. Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, France. 1995 © Mark Power / Magnum Photos
The Tightrope Walker. 2007. © Paolo Ventura courtesy Aperture
The Great Lakes, Chicago. 1958 © Larry Fink courtesy Aperture
Thank you Santa Baby… and Aperture and Magnum.
W.M. Hunt
W.M. Hunt writes as The Unseen Eye. He is an occasional contributor to L’Œil de la Photographie and was one of its original supporters.
Visit Magnum’s shopping platform for your purchase:
