What must-see exhibitions this summer?

If we naturally associate the DNA of the Magnum agency with photojournalism, in black and white, covering with courage and determination war zones and abandoned territories, we often forget, distracted by this exceptional heritage, that it is also home to formal explorers, inventors of new, poetic aesthetic proposals, moving away from the imperative of truthful authenticity. Its history is thus rich in the varied imaginaries that it has fostered, and still encourages today, as the agency cares about its past as well as its future .   In its beautiful Parisian space - endowed with a formidable bookshop - it presents a selection of works emblematic of this approach: the world is told, captured, from as many points of view as there are artists, sensitivities nourished by personal journeys, singular inspirations. Borges evoked " the inconceivable universe " in his short story L'Aleph: photography, by its unique magic , apprehends it, with modesty, rawness, poetry, carried by all the variety of tools available. Here, therefore, it is the colour that bases the subject, shapes the gaze. The extraordinary quality of the prints does justice to these sculptors of light and space : we find mythical names (for once the adjective is not usurped as they have contributed significantly to the history of art), Harry Gruyaert, Bruno Barbey, Ernst Haas, Alex Webb, and discovers others who had escaped our notice (it happens, alas), such as Miguel Rio Branco, Werner Bischof - with staggeringly modern still lifes - and the extraordinary revelation, in our eyes, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, whose exposed portraits powerfully evoke the romantic sweetness tinged with melancholy of the films of Wong Kar-wai or Hou Hsiao-hsien. The great beauty of this set is also due to its narrative power, its humanist generosity releasing gaps where everyone is free to slip.  

Magnum Gallery. Early Color Exhibition. Until October 7, 2023. 68 rue Léon Frot, Paris 75011