Magnum’s latest Square Print Sale showcases ‘the start of something new’

Two young women play on a fence on the beach.
Sergio Larrain, The Daughters of the Fisherman. Horcones, Chile. 1957. © Sergio Larrain

Magnum is back with another of its regular Square Print Sales, allowing collectors to purchase affordably-priced signed or estate-stamped 6-by-6-inch photos by well-known photographers.

At $100 each, this is a great way to start or expand a photo collection. And you can choose from a wide range of images, including photos depicting historical events, portraits of famous people, snapshots of touching moments, or whimsical slices of life.

The theme of ‘precedents’

As always, the print sale has a theme, this one being “Precedents.”

From the Magnum website: “Precedents invites participating photographers and estates to search their personal archives for images that signal the start of something new. A literal beginning, or a moment when everything changed.”

Sales support the Red Cross

This year, the Magnum Square Print Sale is supporting the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), with 50% of profits being donated to help ICRC causes, like assisting those impacted by the war in Ukraine.

Plenty of historical moments

A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Bob Henriques, Martin Luther King speaking to the crowds at the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. Washington DC, USA. May 17th, 1957. © Bob Henriques

Related: Martin Parr on collecting photobooks, shooting tennis, and the challenges of modern street photography

As always, historical moments are well represented in this selection, such as the classic photo by Bob Henriques of Martin Luther King speaking at the Mall in Washington DC. There’s also a portrait of the Dalai Lama just after he left Tibet in 1959, and an image of Nelson Mandela by Raymond Depardon.

Celebrities too

There are several celebrity photos too, including one of Bob Dylan in Woodstock, shot by Elliot Landy, as well as Audrey Hepburn shot by Dennis Stock during the filming of Billy Wilder’s Sabrina.

Also scenes from daily life

A small dog walks beside a human and a large dog. Only the feet of the latter two can be seen.
Elliot Erwitt, New York, New York, USA. 1974. © Elliot Erwitt,

In addition, you’ll find photos documenting touching moments of daily life, such as those by Martin Parr, Sergio Larrain, and Steve McCurry.

Other favorites include Elliott Erwitt’s whimsical dog portrait, Marc Riboud’s photo of a painter on the Eiffel Tower, and Sabiha Çimen’s photo of a winter swimmer in a fish costume.

75 years of Magnum

2022 also marks the 75th anniversary of Magnum Photos, the photographic agency founded after the Second World War by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger, and David “Chim” Seymour.

This is the first of three week-long Square Print Sales scheduled for this year. The next begins on June 6th, the final one on October 24th.

The current Magnum Square Print Sale runs through March 20, 2022.

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