Magnum Photos launches ‘Way for Escape’ Square Print Sale

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Today marks the opening day of the Way for Escape Square Print Sale, which has been put together by Magnum Photos, the now-iconic photography agency that began as a humble artist’s cooperative in Paris in the mid twentieth century. 

The flash-style sale begins today and will finish on Sunday July 18.

© René Burri (Estate)/ Magnum Photos
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. 1997.
“In 1903, the Wright brothers made their historic flights on the beach at Kitty Hawk. On December 17, Orville piloted the first ever powered flight, which travelled 37 meters and lasted 12 seconds. Later the same day, his brother Wilbur flew a distance of 260 meters, lasting 59 seconds.
René Burri wrote in 1981, ‘...Maybe I'm still looking for what is beyond the horizon. It could be around us or right behind me…’”
– Estate of René Burri
© René Burri (Estate)/ Magnum Photos Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA. 1997. “In 1903, the Wright brothers made their historic flights on the beach at Kitty Hawk. On December 17, Orville piloted the first ever powered flight, which travelled 37 meters and lasted 12 seconds. Later the same day, his brother Wilbur flew a distance of 260 meters, lasting 59 seconds. René Burri wrote in 1981, ‘...Maybe I'm still looking for what is beyond the horizon. It could be around us or right behind me…’” – Estate of René Burri

The theme, Way for Escape, was inspired bythe opportunities to escape and travel that we have all been missing this last year due to the pandemic, and so the images in this edition of the Square Print Sale showcase the way that working on assignment gives photographers a chance to escape from their everyday lives and travel to unfamiliar places. 

© Khalik Allah/ Magnum Photos
Harlem, New York City, USA. 2017. From the
© Khalik Allah/ Magnum Photos Harlem, New York City, USA. 2017. From the "125th & Lexington" series. “The only way of escaping a problem is by facing it. Averting our gaze is often how problems are deepened. The more you look at fear, the less you see it. Shooting at nighttime in the streets, without a flash, my photography is predicated on available light, proximity and time; but I’m trying to escape those limits by focusing on what’s eternal in a person. By documenting the light in the eyes of what people in the streets see, the result is emotion written on emulsion. The way the system is built — some of my subjects are locked-up on the outside. They’re not contained by barbed wire and prison gates, but a vicious cycle that’s hard to escape.” – Khalik Allah

The event organisers have described the collection of photographs as “sharing stories of traveling in search of an external subject, or finding answers which lie within.”

© Christopher Anderson/ Magnum Photos
Onboard an airplane. 2017.
“I made this photograph on a flight over the Mediterranean Sea. It was summer. Everyone had the ‘holiday’ tan. I guess we were all escaping something.
Many of my pictures are of moments ‘found’ while going about my daily life. This image found me. Buckled in my seat, I didn’t have much choice of subject matter or angle or composition: it was just there. I photographed it in an attempt to ensure the instant would not escape.”
– Christopher Anderson
© Christopher Anderson/ Magnum Photos Onboard an airplane. 2017. “I made this photograph on a flight over the Mediterranean Sea. It was summer. Everyone had the ‘holiday’ tan. I guess we were all escaping something. Many of my pictures are of moments ‘found’ while going about my daily life. This image found me. Buckled in my seat, I didn’t have much choice of subject matter or angle or composition: it was just there. I photographed it in an attempt to ensure the instant would not escape.” – Christopher Anderson

The one-week-only sale features more than 90 photographs that have been captured by photographers from around the world. Each museum-quality print is available for purchase for just $100.

© Peter Van Agtmael/ Magnum Photos
Sicily, Italy. 2015.
“I can escape to the beach, but no matter how hard I try, I have trouble escaping from my camera.
© Peter Van Agtmael/ Magnum Photos Sicily, Italy. 2015. “I can escape to the beach, but no matter how hard I try, I have trouble escaping from my camera." – Peter van Agtmael

Each print in the sale measures 6x6”, with the image appearing slightly smaller than the full print size due to the white border around the edges of the image.

© Eve Arnold (Estate)/ Magnum Photos 
On the set of 'The Magus', directed by Guy Green. 1967.
“How do we escape from boredom? We play. Eve commented on her photograph of Anthony Quinn and his screen-mate Anna Karina:
‘By now it is common knowledge that film-making is a boring process, and the more boring, the more fooling around takes place to lighten the atmosphere.’”
– Estate of Eve Arnold
© Eve Arnold (Estate)/ Magnum Photos On the set of 'The Magus', directed by Guy Green. 1967. “How do we escape from boredom? We play. Eve commented on her photograph of Anthony Quinn and his screen-mate Anna Karina: ‘By now it is common knowledge that film-making is a boring process, and the more boring, the more fooling around takes place to lighten the atmosphere.’” – Estate of Eve Arnold

Each print that is available for purchase is either signed or estate-stamped. Additionally, each print has been editioned by time as opposed to quantity, because these prints will only be available for purchase within this one-week-only sale period. 

© Werner Bischof (Estate)/ Magnum Photos
Southern part of the country. USA. 1954.
“1954 — Werner Bischof was able to embark on his major tour of the American South. His wife Rosellina, who was travelling with him, noted: ‘It's the beginning of February and we are ready: tomorrow morning we leave New York fully laden and full of plans. Werner has a movie camera and a tape recorder with him. It's going to be a fantastic trip! We'll learn Spanish in the car, and can't wait to reach the Mexican border.
© Werner Bischof (Estate)/ Magnum Photos Southern part of the country. USA. 1954. “1954 — Werner Bischof was able to embark on his major tour of the American South. His wife Rosellina, who was travelling with him, noted: ‘It's the beginning of February and we are ready: tomorrow morning we leave New York fully laden and full of plans. Werner has a movie camera and a tape recorder with him. It's going to be a fantastic trip! We'll learn Spanish in the car, and can't wait to reach the Mexican border." – Estate of Werner Bischof

The entire collection is underpinned by the concept of travel. The subject matter of the Way for Escape collection spans a number of genres and styles, with some images exploring the fast-paced adventurous aspects of travel, and others showcasing the more leisurely and peaceful moments.

© Robert Capa (Estate)/ Magnum Photos
Biarritz, France. August, 1951.
“The most professional American tourists call themselves foreign correspondents. For years I have been talking with and taking pictures of kings, peasants and commissars, and I have ended up believing that curiosity, plus freedom to travel and low fares, is the closest thing to democracy in our time—so maybe democracy is tourism.”
– Robert Capa, in Holiday magazine. Quoted in Richard Whelan, Robert Capa, 1985.
© Robert Capa (Estate)/ Magnum Photos Biarritz, France. August, 1951. “The most professional American tourists call themselves foreign correspondents. For years I have been talking with and taking pictures of kings, peasants and commissars, and I have ended up believing that curiosity, plus freedom to travel and low fares, is the closest thing to democracy in our time—so maybe democracy is tourism.” – Robert Capa, in Holiday magazine. Quoted in Richard Whelan, Robert Capa, 1985.

To have a look at the prints on sale, you can visit the website here. 

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