Founded in 1947 on the basis of the spirit of humanism , the Magnum ph oto agen cy has mostly focused its gaze on a wor ld in times of unrest, collapsing social structures and polarisi n g p oliti cs . This volume is being published to mark the 70 th birthday of th e agency . W ith a selection of iconic pictures f ro m the archive of the agency , it illuminates another of the basic pil lars upon which Magnum rests : community .
The community is marked by conflicts and ruptures, and yet we cling to the sometimes n ostalgi c - seeming idea of the harmoni ous coexistence of man. All this is shown in the world - famous photos from the M agnum a rchi v e - from pictures of dramati c events of world history to quiet , private insights into our daily lives . Over 100 photos from the past 70 years have been selected f or this volume . They are pictures which belong to our c olle c tive memory and which testify to the power of photography . They all illustrate the basic aim of Magnum : to create influential works which enlighten and help to create a better world .