Suspended Storytelling

For Magnum president Cristina de Middel, photography is a language. Images are in a constant mode of transformation that triggers the mind and welcomes the imagination. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of its Square Print Sale, Magnum Photos has joined forces with the prestigious British literary publisher Granta. 

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Entitled “Fable,” the collaboration includes a collection of iconic shots by 85 Magnum photographers paired with original stories and poetry by Irish novelist Sara Baume, Ghanaian poet Victoria Adukwei Bulley, and award-winning British novelist Derek Owusu. The chosen set makes time travel possible–across images such as photographer Philippe Halsman’s shot of Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of The Birds in 1962 and Steve McCurry’s documentation of young practitioners learning martial arts at a training institute in China in 2004. Across the various scenes, the central theme of intimacy serves as an anchor.

From April 29 through May 5, 2024, a selection of the Square Prints will be presented and available to purchase at Mmuseumm in New York along with live signings by photographers. One captivating black-and-white image captures a tender moment between a woman and her dog. The pet’s paws rest on its owner’s shoulders, covered by her checkered coat. Even though their faces remain hidden, their joy is made palpable in Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, 1948, by American photographer Wayne Miller. Having served as president of Magnum Photos from 1962 to 1966, throughout his extensive career, Miller framed the ordinary in extraordinary ways. In another scene, Susan Meiselas offers a peek inside a minimalistically furnished room with the silhouette of an elegantly dressed woman sitting on a sofa chair. With its red walls, crimson-colored carpeted floor, and color black TV, Pandora’s Box, Client Lounge, 1995, encapsulates quiet danger. Both images, amongst others, inspired Sara Baume’s short story, “It Is Decidedly So.” The writer’s distinct voice expands on these irresistibly alluring moments and transports into imaginative worlds. 

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Creative collaborations between Magnum and authors date back 77 years. Over 40 days in the summer of 1947, Magnum co-founder Robert Capa and John Steinbeck pieced together a moving record of the USSR during the Cold War. Their journey was shared with the world a year later with the publication of Steinbeck’s memoir A Russian Journal. In 2016, British photographer Mark Power and London-based poet Daniel Cockrill partnered on Destroying the Laboratory for the Sake of the Experiment (DTLFTSOTE), a unique blend of visuals and poetry based on their exploration of towns and cities in England.

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Now, in a continuation of its passion for storytelling, this fusion between the minds of Magnum and Granta illustrates lasting truths about life and its many nuances.

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‍A selection of Magnum’s Square Print Sale is on display until May 5, 2024, at Mmuseumm at 6 Cortlandt Alley, NYC 10013, in New York.