Early Color | Magnum Paris Gallery

Miguel Rio Branco

The Academia Santa Rosa Boxing Club. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1993

© Miguel Rio Branco/Magnum Photos

Written by Emily Ranieri

Early Color at the Magnum Paris Gallery invites viewers to celebrate color photography and explore the formative years of the movement as well as the photographers who helped propel it. In the latter half of the 20th century, many photographers in the industry held disparaging attitudes toward color photography, claiming it was a menial process that lacked the artistry of the black-and-white form. Through Early Color, the Magnum Paris Gallery is revered by eight photographers who transitioned to color during the 1980s and 1990s, a time when the medium was viewed as “too commercial.” In its first group exhibition, the Magnum Paris Gallery will showcase the vibrant work of Werner Bischof, Ernst Haas, Alex Webb, Harry Gruyaert, Constantine Manos, Miguel Rio Branco, Bruno Barbey, and Gueorgui Pinkhassov, all of whom have a long history with Magnum Photos over its 75 years. The exhibition will be shown from June 22nd to July 31st and from September 1st to October 7th.

Harry Gruyaert

Antwerp, Belgium, 1988

© Harry Gruyaert/Magnum Photos

An eerie image titled “Made in Belgium'' by photographer Harry Gruyeart depicts a dimly lit street scene with neon green light streaming from a laundromat. Reflecting his conflicting views of growing up in Belgium, the bright green represents Gruyeart’s positive feelings toward his home in an otherwise dark and depressing setting. The potency of the green serves as a reminder of the importance of color in relaying the photographer's messages; without the color, Gruyeart’s nostalgia and appreciation for Belgium would not have been as clearly understood. After leaving Belgium in his early adulthood, the photographer turned to color once returning home to avoid a melancholic style – this marked his solidification and his significance in the color photography world.

Gueorgui Pinkhassov

Hotel in Akasaka area. Tokyo, Japan, 1996

© Gueorgui Pinkhassov/Magnum Photos

Another image from Brazilian photographer Miguel Rio Branco examines the Santa Rosa Boxing Club in Rio de Janeiro, where former street kids and former prostitutes go to train. A young boy wearing spirited red boxing gear reflects the photographer’s fascination with the exploration of color and places with high contrast; the young street kid accessorizing with bright reds alludes to a similar political contrast. The young boy is defeating his own situation, and the vibrant colors symbolize his power. Joining Magnum Photos in 1988, photographer Gueorgui Pinkhassov has had an impressive career specializing in aggrandizing the mundanities of everyday life through colorful art reportage. An image from his first book, “Sightwalk,” features a scene from a hotel in Japan; in deep focus, a man wearing a suit in the background is the focal point. Three men, also in suits, are in the foreground and out of focus. Pinkhassov’s revered ability to play with light emphasizes the grandeur and beauty that can be found in everyday life. Light streaming through blinds and shutters creates romantic, sparkling patterns over the entirety of the image.

Alex Webb

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, 1989

© Alex Webb/Magnum Photos

Alex Webb, an American street photographer, transitioned from black-and-white photography to color photography in the late 1970s after working in Latin America and the Caribbean. Inspired by the bright and lively colors found in these cultures’ clothes and art, he incorporated the vibrancy of color into his photographs which often depicted bleak scenes of places with socio-political issues and antagonism. An image taken in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1989 features an elderly woman standing in a hallway lit with red-colored lights. The woman’s stoic face and position are beautifully illuminated through a mirror's reflection, while the figures around her are shadowed. Usually associated with passion, the color red creates a sense of power and fervor in this scene that gives off a sense of loneliness.