The Magnum Digest: April 17, 2020
Lorenzo Meloni documents frontline heroes of the pandemic for TIME, the newest edition of Magnum and National Geographic's coronavirus coverage series, Larry Towell and Peter van Agtmael win Guggenheim Fellowships, plus more
Lorenzo Meloni on the coronavirus devastation in Italy, for TIME
The April 9, 2020 issue of TIME magazine features five covers depicting ‘heroes of the front lines’: individuals, from paramedics to coroners, who are continuing essential work to support society during the pandemic. One of the covers features an image taken by Lorenzo Meloni during travels through northern Italy documenting the effects of, and official responses to, the coronavirus. A written reflection by the Magnum photographer on his experiences documenting these scenes features alongside a selection of the images in a eight-page spread of the print magazine, as well as online here.
Magnum photographers on neighbourliness during the pandemic, for National Geographic
The latest installment of the photographic series co-produced between Magnum Photos and National Geographic, featuring images taken by Magnum photographers amid varying degrees of confinement, focuses on the theme of ‘neighbors’. See the piece here. The features have previously explored family life and the outdoors. The updates are feeding into weekly image curations by Magnum photographer Peter van Agtmael, on the Magnum site, titled Diary of a Pandemic. See the latest of these selections here on Magnum.
Patrick Zachmann’s documentation of Notre-Dame restoration on TIME
This week marked the one-year anniversary since the fire which devastated Notre-Dame of Paris, the French capital’s landmark cathedral. Magnum photographer Patrick Zachmann photographed the Notre-Dame from the day of the fire, and was granted access to photograph the restoration of the cathedral, which he has continued to document since May 2019. His images appear in TIME magazine this week in a piece documenting the delays — including from coronavirus —the restoration project has faced. Read it here.
Read an interview with Patrick Zachmann about the process and his experiences of shooting the space over a year, and see more of the images, on Magnum here.
Nanna Heitmann on lockdown Moscow and life at home
The Cut recently featured a series of photos by Magnum nominee photographer Nanna Heitmann from her visual diary of events in the about self-quarantining, encountering the surreal emptiness of Moscow immediately before and during lockdown, and her experiences of adjusting to life at home. See the piece here.
Antoine d’Agata’s Paris lockdown images in The Financial Times
A recent article by Simon Schama, on history’s teachings in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, was published in The Financial Times, illustrated by photographs by Antoine d’Agata. The TV historian and academic references the diaries of Samuel Pepys, which describe first-hand experiences of the Great Plague of London, and examines what his experiences have to offer to the present-day. Read the piece here.
Alec Soth’s bookshelf tour with MACK
Magnum photographer Alec Soth recently gave a tour of his personal library for MACK books, which was broadcast live to fans on their website. The photographer shows the books he has collected which have influenced the work of his own publishing house, Little Brown Mushroom: from children’s books to found family albums and vernacular photography. Watch the video here.
Alec Soth explores the process of bookmaking in depth in his online course on Magnum Learn. Find out more here.
Larry Towell and Peter van Agtmael selected for Guggenheim Fellowships
Magnum photographers Larry Towell and Peter van Agtmael were selected as John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellows for 2020. The scheme provides support “for individuals who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.” The group of writers, scholars, artists and scientists were rigorously selected from applications received across North America. Read the announcement and find out more about the fellowships here.
Magnum photographers in Apple video on creativity
Images by Gregory Halpern and Richard Kalvar appear in Apple’s recent video advertisement, ‘Creativity goes on’, depicting a range of celebrities and ordinary people coming up with inventive ways of creating art and coping with isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. Watch the video on YouTube here.
Martin Parr on working during confinement
Sleek magazine spoke to Martin Parr recently on a range of subjects, including his scuppered plans of photographing the British summertime, his evolving practice, working with archives while confined to the house, and UK politics. Read the interview here.
