In this landmark photography publication and accompanying exhibition, Clément Chéroux demonstrates how Magnum Photos owes its pre-eminence to the ability of its photographers to encompass and navigate the points between photography as art object and photography as documentary evidence. A Magnum photograph can be expressive and bear witness at the same time.

Magnum Manifesto is organized into three main parts: Part 1 (1947–1968) views the Magnum archive through a humanist lens, focusing on post-war ideals of commonality and utopianism. Part 2 (1969–1989) shows a world fragmenting, with a focus on subcultures, minorities and outsiders. Part 3 (1990–present day) charts the ways in which Magnum photographers have captured – and continue to capture – a world in flux and under threat. Featuring both group and individual projects, the book includes contact sheets, notebooks, magazine spreads and other previously unseen material to accompany the photographs.

Complete with extensive texts by Clément Chéroux and photographic historian Clara Bouveresse, Magnum Manifesto is an essential purchase for anyone seeking to understand the very best in photography.