Magnum Photos
Photo Agency

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

In 1947, following the aftermath of the Second World War, four pioneering photographers founded a now legendary alliance. Combining an extraordinary range of individual styles into one powerful collaboration, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger and David Seymour started, over a celebratory bottle of champagne, the most important artists’ cooperative ever created: The Magnum Photos agency.

Magnum Photos represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers, maintaining its founding ideals and idiosyncratic mix of journalist, artist and storyteller. Our photographers share a vision to chronicle world events, people, places and culture with a powerful narrative that defies convention, shatters the status quo, redefines history and transforms lives.

For nearly 70 years Magnum Photos has been providing the highest quality photographic content to an international client base of media, charities, publishers, brands and cultural institutions. The Magnum Photos library is a living archive updated regularly with new work from across the globe.

Magnum has documented most of the world’s major events and personalities since the 1930s; covering industry, society and people, places of interest, politics and news events, disasters and conflict.. In short, when you picture an iconic image, but can’t think who took it or where it can be found, it probably came from Magnum.

Magnum photographers are a rarity and the agency is self-selecting; membership is a minimum four year process and is considered the finest accolade of a photographer’s career.

Magnum Photos reaches a global audience and has established itself as the authentic, storytelling photographic brand. It remains loyal to its original values of uncompromising excellence, truth, respect and independence.

Magnum Manifesto, the landmark exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of Magnum Photos, was exhibited at International Center of Photography.

Profile Banner
Paolo Pellegrin

Werner Bischof

Rene Burri

Elliott Erwitt

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Miguel Rio Branco

Robert Capa

David Hurn
Authored Articles
Close Enough: Women Photographers of Magnum
Apr 24 – Jul 21, 2024
Ukraine: Updates from Magnum
Photographers in the Field
Diary of a Pandemic / Part II
Magnum photographers
Diary of a Pandemic
Magnum photographers
Alec Soth / Magnum Gallery
Nov 7, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020
They Defend Our Freedoms
30 years / Sakharov Prize
John Morris (1916-2017)
In Memoriam
RELATED ARTICLES
Our 9th Year Anniversary
Artpil / Prescription 176
International Women’s Day / 2026
Artpil / Prescription 171
New Year / 2026
Ballroom & Battleships
Les Rencontres d’Arles / Disobedient Images
Jul 7 – Oct 5, 2025
International Women’s Day / 2025
Artpil / Prescription 158
Paris Photo 2024
November 7–10, 2024
Alex Webb: Dislocations
Publication
Two Years into Ukraine
Artpil / Prescription 147
WAR, and the Declaration of Human Rights
75 year Anniversary
Paris Photo 2023
November 9–12, 2023
New Year / 2023
Semantic Shift, Option Delete
Future Now Symposium 2021
Apr 28 – May 31, 2021
International Women’s Day / 2021
Artpil / Prescription 124
For The Sake of Calmness
Newsha Tavakolian
New Year / 2021
Artpil / Prescription 122
The Shadow Pandemic
Artpil / Prescription 121
Photo London Digital
October 7–18, 2020
I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating
Alec Soth
A Matter of Black Lives
Artpil / Prescription 117
Capa in Color
Sep 17, 2019 – Jan 26, 2020
Berlin Photo Week 2019
October 10–13, 2019
Good Morning, America / Vol. 1
Mark Power
Visionary Color / Ernst Haas
Sep 6 – Nov 9, 2019
New Year / 2019
Artpil / Prescription 077
The American Document / Part II
Fractured States / Peter van Agtmael
Photo London 2018
May 17–20, 2018
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
70 year Anniversary
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018
Oct 18, 2018 – Jan 27, 2019
New Year / 2018
Artpil / Prescription 025
Bleu Blanc Rouge / Christopher Anderson
Nov 2 – Dec 22, 2018
Portrait of Humanity Award
Deadline Dec 11, 2018
Koudelka: Invasion 1968
NPG / Aug 22, 2018 – Jan 13, 2019
Magnum Manifesto
70 years of Magnum Photos
Profile Banner
Paolo Pellegrin
Magnum Photos
Photo Agency

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

In 1947, following the aftermath of the Second World War, four pioneering photographers founded a now legendary alliance. Combining an extraordinary range of individual styles into one powerful collaboration, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, George Rodger and David Seymour started, over a celebratory bottle of champagne, the most important artists’ cooperative ever created: The Magnum Photos agency.

Magnum Photos represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers, maintaining its founding ideals and idiosyncratic mix of journalist, artist and storyteller. Our photographers share a vision to chronicle world events, people, places and culture with a powerful narrative that defies convention, shatters the status quo, redefines history and transforms lives.

For nearly 70 years Magnum Photos has been providing the highest quality photographic content to an international client base of media, charities, publishers, brands and cultural institutions. The Magnum Photos library is a living archive updated regularly with new work from across the globe.

Magnum has documented most of the world’s major events and personalities since the 1930s; covering industry, society and people, places of interest, politics and news events, disasters and conflict.. In short, when you picture an iconic image, but can’t think who took it or where it can be found, it probably came from Magnum.

Magnum photographers are a rarity and the agency is self-selecting; membership is a minimum four year process and is considered the finest accolade of a photographer’s career.

Magnum Photos reaches a global audience and has established itself as the authentic, storytelling photographic brand. It remains loyal to its original values of uncompromising excellence, truth, respect and independence.

Magnum Manifesto, the landmark exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of Magnum Photos, was exhibited at International Center of Photography.

Werner Bischof

Rene Burri

Elliott Erwitt

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Miguel Rio Branco

Robert Capa

David Hurn
Authored Articles
Close Enough: Women Photographers of Magnum
Apr 24 – Jul 21, 2024
Ukraine: Updates from Magnum
Photographers in the Field
Diary of a Pandemic / Part II
Magnum photographers
Diary of a Pandemic
Magnum photographers
Alec Soth / Magnum Gallery
Nov 7, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020
They Defend Our Freedoms
30 years / Sakharov Prize
John Morris (1916-2017)
In Memoriam
RELATED ARTICLES
Our 9th Year Anniversary
Artpil / Prescription 176
International Women’s Day / 2026
Artpil / Prescription 171
New Year / 2026
Ballroom & Battleships
Les Rencontres d’Arles / Disobedient Images
Jul 7 – Oct 5, 2025
International Women’s Day / 2025
Artpil / Prescription 158
Paris Photo 2024
November 7–10, 2024
Alex Webb: Dislocations
Publication
Two Years into Ukraine
Artpil / Prescription 147
WAR, and the Declaration of Human Rights
75 year Anniversary
Paris Photo 2023
November 9–12, 2023
New Year / 2023
Semantic Shift, Option Delete
Future Now Symposium 2021
Apr 28 – May 31, 2021
International Women’s Day / 2021
Artpil / Prescription 124
For The Sake of Calmness
Newsha Tavakolian
New Year / 2021
Artpil / Prescription 122
The Shadow Pandemic
Artpil / Prescription 121
Photo London Digital
October 7–18, 2020
I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating
Alec Soth
A Matter of Black Lives
Artpil / Prescription 117
Capa in Color
Sep 17, 2019 – Jan 26, 2020
Berlin Photo Week 2019
October 10–13, 2019
Good Morning, America / Vol. 1
Mark Power
Visionary Color / Ernst Haas
Sep 6 – Nov 9, 2019
New Year / 2019
Artpil / Prescription 077
The American Document / Part II
Fractured States / Peter van Agtmael
Photo London 2018
May 17–20, 2018
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
70 year Anniversary
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2018
Oct 18, 2018 – Jan 27, 2019
New Year / 2018
Artpil / Prescription 025
Bleu Blanc Rouge / Christopher Anderson
Nov 2 – Dec 22, 2018
Portrait of Humanity Award
Deadline Dec 11, 2018
Koudelka: Invasion 1968
NPG / Aug 22, 2018 – Jan 13, 2019
Magnum Manifesto
70 years of Magnum Photos
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