The Body Observed

Featuring works from the 1930s to the contemporary, The Body Observed explores how Magnum photographers have turned their lens to the body, presenting works that examine a range of subjects from identity, intimacy, sexuality and ritual, to voyeurism and performance, among others.

USA. 1959. American actress Marilyn Monroe jumping with Philippe Halsman. Gelatin silver print, 8-5/8" × 13" (21.9 cm × 33 cm), image 11" × 14" (27.9 cm × 35.6 cm), paper © Philippe Halsman/Magnum Photos

USA. 1955. Dutch actress Audrey Hepburn. Gelatin silver print, 8-5/8" × 13" (21.9 cm × 33 cm), image 11" × 14" (27.9 cm × 35.6 cm), paper © Philippe Halsman/Magnum Photos

The body is not a thing, it is a situation: it is our grasp on the world and our sketch of our project

Simone de Beauvoir
FRANCE. Paris. 1936. The Tuileries gardens. Theseus and the Minotaur. Gelatin silver print, 8-5/8" × 13" (21.9 cm × 33 cm), image 11" × 14" (27.9 cm × 35.6 cm), paper © Herbert List/Magnum Photos

SWITZERLAND. Zurich. "Zebra woman". 1942. Gelatin silver print, 8-5/8" × 13" (21.9 cm × 33 cm), image 11" × 14" (27.9 cm × 35.6 cm), paper © Werner Bischof/Magnum Photos

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