Own a Bruce Davidson photo for $100 – Magnum sale ends tomorrow

Solidarity Magnum Squares 2020 image 2
'The Selma March. Alabama, USA, 1965', by Bruce Davidson – just one of over 100 incredible images that can be purchased in the 'Solidarity' Magnum Square Print Sale (Image credit: Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos)

The latest Square Print Sale from Magnum Photos sees photographers from the iconic agency partner with their peers on Vogue magazine under the theme of 'Solidarity'.  

Running for seven days, the sale means that anyone can own a museum-quality print from some of the biggest names in photography for just $100. 

50% of the proceeds from the Solidarity sale will be donated to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 

The 'Solidarity' theme challenges participating photographers to reflect upon the power of togetherness in our tumultuous times; over 100 images have been curated for the sale. 

Which prints are available in this sale? 

'President Barack Obama in the private dining room of the White House. Washington, DC, USA, 2016', by Christopher Anderson (Image credit: Magnum Photos/Christopher Anderson)

Photographers featuring in this sale include Christopher Anderson, Peter van Agtmael, Eve Arnold, Miranda Barnes, Matt Black, June Canedo de Souza, Bruce Davidson, W. Eugene Smith, Harry Gruyaert, Yael Martinez, Eli Reed, Richie Shazam, Alec Soth, Newsha Tavakolian, Larry Towell, and many more.

Click here to see all the images in the sale – but you’ll need to make your choices quickly, as the sale only runs for a week, until Sunday 2 August at 6PM EST (10pm GMT).

Magnum square prints are printed on 6 x 6in (15.24 x 15.24cm) archival paper; the image size is 5.5 inches (14cm) on the longest side. 

Each print costs $100 and is signed or estate-stamped, and will not be made available outside the sale window. 

Buy a collectable print for just $100

The limited availability period makes these photographs very collectable – like this distinctive portrait of President Barack Obama from 2016. 

In fact, says its photographer Christopher Anderson, it was one of the last photos taken of Obama in office. 

“It feels a little silly to say that it was one of my more memorable moments as a photographer. Of course, it was. 

“And full disclosure: I voted for Barack Obama and I would vote for him again if I could, so I admit I am not the most objective. 

“But I was sincerely struck by the way he treated everybody in the room with dignity, for what it is worth. I hope this portrait reflects something about the humanity of the person that I encountered.”

Choose a classic black and white Magnum photo

'Training activists not to react to provocation. Civil strike, CORE group (Congress of Racial Equality). Petersburg, Virginia, USA. 1960', by Eve Arnold (Image credit: Magnum Photos/Christopher Anderson)

The 'Solidarity' theme is showcased in so many different ways in the sale. Some standout examples include Eve Arnold's 1960 image of American civil rights activists being trained not to react to provocation. 

And there's Bruce Davidson's 'The Selma March', taken in Alabama, USA. 

“This photograph was taken during the 1965 protest marches from Selma to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery," notes the photographer. 

“Martin Luther King Jr. led a group of African-American, non-violent marchers to exercise their constitutional right to vote, in defiance of segregationist repression. 

“This was a watershed moment in the US civil rights movement. I came across this young demonstrator, wrapped in a flag, protesting racism; behind him is Father Smith of San Antonio, a white catholic priest who protested against injustice for most of his life.” 

Other leading Magnum photographers from this period represented in the sale include Elliot Erwitt, Leonard Freed, Bob Henriques and Phillip Jones Griffiths. 

Many contemporary works also feature

'Cup Foods, Minneapolis, Minnesota. USA, June 2, 2020', by Peter van Agtmael (Image credit: Magnum Photos/Peter van Agtmael)

And a contemporary flavor is offered by Peter van Agtmael's image of people showing solidarity after the killing of George Floyd earlier this year. 

“When I first arrived in Minneapolis, Cup Foods, where George Floyd was killed by police, was a place of silence and mourning," he recalls. 

“As the days continued, the feeling shifted. It was still a space for people to reflect on the horrific death, but it also became a place where people made art, served free food, collected goods for the needy, and even partied after months of confinement.”

Alongside the work of Magnum members, a range of images created by Vogue photographers appears in the sale, including Daniel Arnold, Miranda Barnes, Deanna Templeton and Richie Shazam. 

'Is a New Deal Coming?', Los Angeles, 2020, by Sharon Lockhart (Image credit: Sharon Lockhart/Vogue)

And there's Sharon Lockhart's 'Is a New Deal Coming?', an image created as a homage to an American news photo taken in the early 1930s. 

“As a response to the situation we faced in the spring of 2020, I made a set of 14 images with 14 different sashes with the words contagion, apprehension, isolation, digitization, termination, stratification, recession, depression, ruination, destitution, compassion, conviction, organization, and solidarity," she says. 

“Each image appeared on Instagram linked to an article in The New York Times that responded to the word.” 

Essential info about this Square Print Sale 

‘Solidarity’, Magnum’s Square Print Sale in collaboration with Vogue and the NAACP, runs from Monday 27 July at 9AM EST (1pm GMT) to Sunday, 2 August, 6PM EST (10pm GMT).

Visit the Magnum Shop to see all the images in the sale – but don't leave it too late, because this is a limited time offer! 

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Niall Hampton
Editor

Niall is the editor of Digital Camera Magazine, and has been shooting on interchangeable lens cameras for over 20 years, and on various point-and-shoot models for years before that. 


Working alongside professional photographers for many years as a jobbing journalist gave Niall the curiosity to also start working on the other side of the lens. These days his favored shooting subjects include wildlife, travel and street photography, and he also enjoys dabbling with studio still life. 


On the site you will see him writing photographer profiles, asking questions for Q&As and interviews, reporting on the latest and most noteworthy photography competitions, and sharing his knowledge on website building.