- Written By Light sells 107 photographs, signed or stamped prints of iconic photographs, both seen and never seen before
- The aim is to celebrate the difference between photography and AI-generated imagery
- A portion of the profits will be donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross
Iconic images of Marilyn Monroe gambling at the tables in Reno, Neil Armstrong on the moon and Ingrid Bergman are up for grabs at Magnum Photo Studios’ biennial sale.
Entitled ‘Written by light‘ the exhibition sells 107 photographs, signed or stamped prints of iconic photographs, including some that have never been shown before.
The sale takes place in collaboration with the World Press Photo Foundation. Both studios aim to celebrate the fundamental difference between photography and AI-generated imagery: the use of light.
The collection includes work by 76 Magnum photographers, estates and 31 World Press Photo winners. All 6×6 size photos cost $110.
A portion of the profits are donated to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The selection of photos sold spans five decades.
Magnum Studio Chairman, Cristina de Middel said: ‘As photographers, we have all been seduced at some point by light and the opportunity to capture it in our own unique way.
‘The time feels right to return to our roots and reflect on the origins of our photographic practice, to the camera obscura, and how an image is captured through the impact of light on a surface.’
While on location in Nevada, John Huston spent long hours, sometimes nights, at the gambling tables in Reno. Marilyn went with him once, near the end of filming The Misfits in 1960
Neil Armstrong photographed the moon in 1969
Westerners look over the wall while it is still low enough to look at Berlin, Germany, 1961
Nelson Mandela in Stockholm, Sweden in 1990
Ingrid Bergman took photographs in Italy in 1953
From the photo series Public Encounters, the Peterson family, Tokai Forest, Cape Town, South Africa, 2004
An aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjusts a row of flags in front of a painting of George Washington in the U.S. Capitol, preparing for Democratic leaders to speak after the Dec. 18, 2019, vote to elect President Donald Trump to Congress. to be turned off for the first time.
Rancher Robert O. Anderson (right) in Artesia, New Mexico, USA, 1963
Models in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2000
A captured Caretta Caretta in the Canary Islands, 2016
Dana Miller took photographs in the US in 1950
The Magnum Photo Studio represents some of the world’s most renowned photographers and has been in business for over 70 years.
The studio is known for their rare photographs and has produced some of the most iconic images since World War II.
The website says: ‘Basically, if you imagine an iconic image but can’t think of who created it or where to find it, it probably came from Magnum.’
Over the years, the studio has supplied photographs to media, charities, publishers, brands and cultural institutions. It considers itself a ‘living archive’.