Lead image by Bob Gruen. All images used with permission.
The Magnum Square Print Sale is back and the iconic collective is teaming up with Aperture for its latest edition. The two organizations have opted to focus this edition on Youth, offering 22 prints from some of the world’s best photographers from past and present.
The selection of prints looks at youth from childhood to early adulthood. There’s a range of narratives, highlighting the energy, vulnerability and curiosity that comes with growing up in this world.
It’s your opportunity to own a physical image from some household names, with Steve McCurry, Eve Arnold and Jim Goldberg being just a few of the photographers in the selection.
Prices start at $110 with the sale running from Monday, October 20th to Sunday, October 26th. The images are printed on 6×6” paper, with the actual image size being 5.5”.
Although every photograph is of top quality and could add value to your collection, I wanted to share my favorite images from the current sale.
Raymond Depardon
Photo by Raymond Depardon. Glasgow, Scotland. 1980.
Taken in Glasgow, Scotland in 1980, this photo perfectly captures working-class life in the north of the British island. The setting is dark, the architecture muted, but yet here are children at play, bringing a pop of vibrancy and joy to their environment.
Joel Meyerowitz
Photo by Joel Meyerowitz. Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 1984.
I love the vulnerability in this frame, as the subject seems to be at an age where we tend to become more conscious about our appearance and the way people perceive us. The blues and pinks sit perfectly in front of the green, natural backdrop, as both subjects complement each other perfectly.
Constantine Manos
Photo by Constantine Manos. Daytona Beach, Florida. USA. 1999.
The balance, framing and color in this frame are extremely satisfying to look at. The silhouette gives it the wow factor, and is a beautiful way of highlighting the tender, protective nature we have around babies.
Lindokuhle Sobekaw
Photo by Lindokuhle Sobekaw. Amakrwala Black Hill. Qumbu, Eastern Cape, South Africa. 2021.
At first glance it’s the attire that grips my gaze. The patterns, the color and the way the garments are worn makes it a fantastic group portrait. But, there’s something deeper at play: brotherhood. An important part of youth, the frame highlights the strength in young men finding their way, not as individuals, but as a collective.
Jim Goldberg
Photo by Jim Goldberg. Dave and Cookie Jonesin’, Hollywood, California. USA. 1989.
Romance is perhaps the most complex thing to navigate in our younger years. Everything feels bigger than it is, and this image perfectly portrays the bargaining we do when love is in the air. “Will it last forever?”, “Should it be someone else?”, answers we’re desperate to know and feel impossible to find.
Signing Off
You only have seven days to get these images, and they won’t be available to purchase outside of the current Magnum Square Print Sale.
For more information and to see the full selection, check out the Magnum store.
More reading: Hypnotic Self-Portraits Transport You Into Multiple Realities
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