Fresh From the Magnum Darkroom

The Magnum Darkroom Collection, now composed of fifteen 11” x 14” prints, celebrates the rarely-seen, intimate art of developing in the darkroom. By showcasing the printer’s own markups and notations, these prints reveal the thought process behind how these images were interpreted, how the depth and layers were accentuated, and how the subjects were brought to life — elevating the history and thoughtfulness behind images from Magnum’s 77-year-old archive.

The third release of darkroom prints, which arrived on February 15,  features five new images showing life on the move. Chien-Chi Chang lands an image from the Vienna International Airport while Eli Reed takes us on tour with Run-DMC. Bruce Gilden enters the collection with a hectic shot evoking New York street photography at its finest and Cornell Capa’s poise remains evident in capturing the ever-elegant Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow. Erich Hartmann slides into the final spot on a bus ride during a snowstorm down Manhattan’s 5th Avenue.

Vienna International Airport, 2010

“Between” is the space where life happens. For Chien-Chi Chang in 2010, that space contained the end of one relationship and the start of a new one, a new home in Vienna before one in Graz, and a new language (German) at age 54 — just so that he could stay in the country. Jet Lag explores disconnection through the lens of a constant traveler over the course of 25 years. From airports and planes to hotel rooms and self-portraits, the gap between unfamiliar and familiar in a world of flux becomes a home of sorts, but often an uneasy one. In this image, time passes and just as much seems to change as to stay the same.

Run-DMC Tour Bus, USA, 1986

“Kings from Queens, from Queens come kings” is the opening bar on “Raising Hell,” the titular track on Run-DMC’s third studio album. Released in 1986, the album is considered one of the most influential records in hip hop history and it represents the moment hip hop solidified itself as a dominant cultural force in the US and around the world. During the 45-city “Raising Hell” tour, DJ Hurricane, bodyguard for Run-DMC and DJ for the Beastie Boys, played chess on the bus with Jam Master Jay. The picture appears in Eli Reed’s Black in America (2000), a book that explores and expands the notion of black experience in America.

Feast of San Gennaro, New York City, 1984

In 1984, 37-year-old New Yorker Bruce Gilden photographed the Feast of San Gennaro in the Little Italy neighborhood of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The annual September tradition celebrating the patron saint of Naples began in 1926, making it one of the city’s oldest street fairs. Gilden doesn’t title any of his photographs, but refers to this one as “Best Street,” because he says, “I don’t think I can do a better picture in the street of New York.” With everyone going everywhere, and a distant sign for a childhood favorite treat, the frenetic scene captures life in the melting pot at its finest.

The Bolshoi Ballet School, Moscow, 1958

In 1958, two years after his work in Ecuador covering Operation Auca, Cornell Capa visited the USSR to provide a snapshot of Soviet Russian life. While traveling through Moscow, he photographed ballerinas at the Bolshoi Ballet School (today, Moscow State Academy of Choreography), one of the oldest and most prestigious academies of its kind in the world. The school, founded in 1773 by Catherine the Great — 10 years after she established it as an orphanage, was part of a larger effort to promote art and the ballet in Russia. Capa’s image serves as a testament to the legacy and beauty of an enduring hallmark of Russian culture.

Snowstorm, New York City, 1967

Over 51” of snow fell in New York City in the winter of 1967. The same year, Erich Hartmann joined the Magnum Photos Board of Directors, which he remained on until becoming president of the cooperative in 1985. While riding a city bus during one of the snowstorms in 1967, not for any particular assignment, Hartmann captured a girl looking out the window. Outside, figures trudged through the street in front of the Tishman Building at 666 5th Avenue. The photograph is featured in his book Where I Was (2000), a personal collection of enigmatic black-and-white images taken over the course of his illustrious career

View the full collection and shop the prints on the Magnum Shop.