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At The Movies: Magnum Ke Tasveer

Magnum’s archive of film imagery includes a large part of the history of cinema - the product of it’s photographers working on film sets capturing behind-the-scenes moments and photographing film directors, actors and actresses on and off camera, for over 60 years.

The 1950s, a period when the cult of the cinema idol grew, coincided with Magnum’s own ‘Golden Age’ – a time before television was widely available and the picture magazines reigned supreme as the main disseminators of news and publicity. Individual Magnum photographers forged friendships with movie stars, getting the kind of unchecked access no longer conceivable to today’s celebrities.

Henri Cartier-Bresson directed a number of films and Robert Capa’s extensive network of contacts included actors and directors amongst its ranks. Perhaps most fruitful in terms of images was Capa’s long-term friendship with the American Film Director, John Houston. In 1961, ten Magnum photographers were given the exclusive rights to document the making of his seminal movie, The Misfits. Written by the American playwright, Arthur Miller, it featured a cast of Hollywood stars including Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable and Montgomery Clift. The film became legendary as it was the last that Monroe and Gable ever made.

This exhibition provides an introduction both to Magnum and Hollywood’s cinema heritage.

"At The Movies: Magnum Ke Tasveer" will tour to the following locations:
Mumbai, 29 October to 8 November; Bangalore, 10 December 2010 to 1 January 2011; Ahmedabad, 11 to 21 March 2011.