Fundación Canal presents: “Magnum: The body observed,” an exhibition gathering 136 images where 14 of the most remarkable photographers of the Magnum Photos agency point their lens at the human body as a form of expression, both for the photographers and for the photographed subjects themselves. Through these photographs, the authors reflect on a wide variety of topics, such as intimacy, identity, sexuality and how different social and cultural structures determine how we represent and understand the human body.

The body has acted as a fundamental theme all throughout the history of art. The emergence of photography in the mid-19th century opened up new possibilities in representation of the human figure, increasing the range of themes, compositions and types. In this regard, this collection explores how Magnum Photos’ photographers approached the vision of the body from 1930 until today. These images seek to go beyond acting as mere documents, exhibiting characteristic aspects of the lives and personalities of the subjects portrayed, by means of an in-depth interaction with their physicality.

The exhibition includes images by :

Eve Arnold (Philadelphia, USA, 1912 – London, United Kingdom, 2012).
Olivia Arthur (London, United Kingdom, 1980).
Werner Bischof (Zurich, Switzerland, 1916 – Trujillo, Peru, 1954).
Antoine D’Agata (Marseille, France, 1961).
Bieke Depoorter (Cortrique, Belgium, 1986).
Cristina Gª Rodero (Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Spain, 1949).
Bruce Gilden (New York, USA, 1946).
Philippe Hallsman (Riga, Latvia, 1906 – New York, USA, 1979).
Tim Hetherington (Birkenhead, United Kingdom, 1970 – Misrata, Libya, 2011).
Herbert List (Hamburg, Germany, 1903 – Munich, Germany, 1975).
Susan Meiselas (Baltimore, USA, 1948).
Miguel Rio Branco (Las Palmas de Gran de Canaria, Spain, 1946).
Alessandra Sanguinetti (New York, USA, 1958).
Alec Soth (Minneapolis, USA, 1969).

Curators: Monserrat Pis Marcos (Sainsbury Centre) and Emily Graham (Magnum Photos)
This exhibition was organised in collaboration with the Sainsbury Centre and Magnum Photos.

NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FROM HOME

Guided tour with the curator
Virtual modality

Learn more about the exhibition with curator and art historian Monserrat Pis Marcos. Discover how the photographers from the prestigious agency Magnum Photos approached the vision of the body from the 1930s until today.

Family Workshop
Virtual modality

From the comfort of home, learn how artists from the Magnum agency narrated a story by representing the human body. An activity to learn, as a family, basic notions of photography with simple exercises based on works from the exhibition.