The garden gates will be open this fall

Since Magnum’s founding, the cooperative has acted as a refuge for photographers around the world – aiming to create ideal conditions for their work to thrive in an ever-changing ecosystem. For the Fall 2024 Square Print Sale titled EdenMagnum Photos works with The Photo Society, e.gExploring the title topic. The sale celebrates the wondrous beauty, complexity and sometimes absurdity of life on our planet through a collaboration that places emphasis on it the urgent need to protect it from an existential threat: humanity.

From October 21st to 27th, 123 images will be on display available for sale online as limited edition 6×6 inch prints. They draw attention to the splendor of nature and the devastating but potentially healing consequences of our actions. The stakes could not be higher and these images are intended to provoke both pause and resistance for the sake of the Earth, its future generations and its collective ability to thrive. In Edenthere is abundance – but only for a limited time.

Shop the Square Print Sale: Eden (opens Monday, October 21 at 9:00 a.m. ET)

The Photo Society was founded in 2011 as an organized community of selected documentary photographers who contributed National Geographic. The partnership brings together for the first time the work of two distinct groups of world-class photographers, each offering a wealth of contributions from around the world. From rainforests to concrete jungles and everything in between, the collection captures not only a variety of locations but also a vibrant spectrum of thematic interpretations.

Everyone has a vision of an ideal world. Whether a bygone era, a future utopia or something glimpsed here and now. Some images seem dark and dystopian, others humorous, ironic and even counterintuitive, and yet others still offer a deeply rooted, hopeful vision for the survival and resilience of an ailing people and planet. All these photographs and everything they evoke, despite all their differences, have their origins in the world in which we live.

In the Eden In the Square Print Sale collection, Susan Meiselas shows a children’s ride made of artificial swans against a seemingly desolate landscape in a fenced part of an amusement park built in Kurdistan for domestic tourism. Alec Soth offers a blank painter’s canvas surrounded by vegetation over White Bear Lake in Minnesota. Elliott Erwitt’s contribution compares sacred and commercial iconography with his typical Argentine clarity and humor. Myriam Boulos shows a stunning close-up of a woman with a rooster, showing the close relationship between humans and animals.

“Some say Eden was a garden where the first humans lived in harmony with an environment designed to help them thrive. If this story is true, we have done a poor job keeping the garden neat, bountiful and clean. Whether you believe the story or not, it certainly did not predict that our prosperity as a species would come at the expense of depleting the world’s resources,” writes Cristina de Middel, President of Magnum.

“Landscape photography is one of the most popular genres: misty hills at sunrise in Tuscany, sunsets over the Grand Canyon… We love capturing the beauty around us and celebrating the magnificence of our planet. However, we must realize that these landscape and wildlife photographs may soon be all that is left – our only reminder of the world as it once was. The only proof that Eden existed.

“For this Square Print Sale edition, we collaborated with The Photo Society, an organization that is at the forefront of documenting this beauty. I hope the collection we have curated serves as a subtle or stark reminder of what it’s really about.”

Images from Photo Society members include its founder Randy Olson’s shot of Mohanis fishermen in Pakistan’s Indus River, who still use a 5,000-year-old method of bird hunting. Maria Daniel Balcazar’s photo is inspired by Afro-Caribbean poet Julia de Burgos, whose poems seem like a force of nature and reflect an identity rooted in the earth.

“The founders of Magnum envisioned a world where photographers could capture what they see without being constrained by the agendas of magazines and newspapers. With this in mind, the Photo Society was founded 13 years ago National Geographic Photographers fought to maintain their copyrights. Recognizing that further challenges would lie ahead, We took action,” Olson said. “Historically, photographers have held influential roles, acting as editors, cameramen, managing the archive and making key grant decisions for luminaries like Jane Goodall. Today, in a world where visual information overtakes text, it is worrying that photographers are becoming increasingly weak at the decision-making table. This underlines the important mission of the Photo Society. We are dedicated to promoting, preserving and strengthening photojournalism around the world. We are also thrilled to partner with the respected organization Magnum to demonstrate solidarity within the photography community and recognize the tireless efforts of photographers who document the incredible world around us.”

See an image you like or want to browse the entire collection?

The sale of 123 signed or estate stamped square prints from the Magnum Archives and the Photo Society Archives will take place from Monday, October 21st to Sunday, October 27th, 2024 at the Magnum Online Store.

Shop here (opens Monday, October 21 at 9:00 a.m. ET)