David Seymour

Magnum Square Print: David Seymour

$110.00
$110.00
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Select finish: Unframed
Description

Circus Medrano. Paris, France, 1936.

“In his exploration of Paris during the 1930s, David Seymour, ‘Chim,’ photographed a diverse array of subjects: the butchers in Les Halles, striking factory workers, writers at the International Congress of Writers for the Defence of Culture, and funeral attendees in the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

“A distinctly lighter mood emerges in his photographs of the storied Cirque Medrano, which has long inspired artists such as Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Edgar Degas. Chim’s contemporaries, such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and possibly Alexander Calder, were also entranced by the circus clowns, animals, performers, and acrobats.

“Chim’s 1936 photo shows a symmetric image of a clown on his back, with boxing gloves and outstretched legs, paired with a small horse and white-tailed trainer. The playful spectacle shows a different side of Chim, balancing his devotion to more serious political dramas and evocative portraits.”

— Ben Shneiderman, Chim’s nephew

© David Seymour / Magnum Photos

This print is estate-stamped on an archival label to ensure quality and preservation, which is affixed to the back of the print.

The edition is available for purchase between:

Monday, April 21, 09:00 a.m. EDT
to Sunday, April 27, 11:59 p.m. EDT

Specification

Format: Digital C-Print
Paper Size: 6 x 6 in (15.24 x 15.24 cm)
Image Size: 5.5 in (14 cm) on the longest side
Material: Printed on Fuji Crystal Archive Matte paper

Framing

All Magnum Square Prints come with a choice of three framing options. These contemporary custom frames are hand-crafted by expert framers.

Standard (Custom Black/White)

  • Hand-crafted black or white wooden frame (w: ~¾” h: ~⅞”)
  • Magnum Square Prints will be framed with a white, archival, made-to-measure mat
  • Includes UV plexiglass, which comes with ~99% UV protection
  • The finished frames will then be sealed using archival paper backing, wired ready for hanging and with wall-friendly footers
  • All products used in the framing are archival quality: Japanese hinging tape, archival text labels, and backing papers
  • All frames will be square with outside dimensions of 10 ⅞” x 10 ⅞” 
  • Please note, the signature or estate stamp will be hidden by the framing but a text label (without signature or estate stamp) will be affixed to the back of the frame

Premium

  • Hand-crafted premium walnut wooden frame 12mm x 19mm (½” x ¾”)
  • Magnum Square Prints will be framed with a white, archival, made-to-measure mat
  • Includes UV plexiglass, which comes with ~99% UV protection
  • The finished frames are plexiglass on both sides with the signature label mounted on the reverse, with a wire for hanging
  • All premium frames will be square with outside dimensions of  12 ½” x 12 ½” 

Please allow extra time for framing as all frames are custom made.

Shipping

Shipping Time

Prints are made throughout the sale and signed by our photographers around the world or stamped by their estates. All orders will be processed as quickly as possible.

If you have unframed Square Print(s), we will ship all orders by June 2nd, 2025.

Framed Square Prints take a bit more time to produce as all frames are handmade, we will ship all framed orders by June 17th, 2025.

After successfully placing an order, you will receive an email confirmation from Magnum. Once your order ships, you will receive another email which will include your order’s tracking information.

Shipping Method

Framed and unframed Magnum Square Prints will be shipped separately from other products ordered. All Square Print orders that ship within the U.S. will ship via USPS & UPS.

All Square Print orders that ship outside of the U.S. will ship via DHL Express, Royal Mail, or Deutsche Post. At the moment there is no postal service to Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. For more information, please visit our FAQs.

To calculate shipping please go to your Cart.

If you are going on vacation during the shipping window, please be sure to give Magnum a shipping address where your Square Print can be safely delivered. Any items returned to Magnum can be shipped out again at cost to the customer.

Taxes and Duties

All Magnum Square Print orders ship from the USA, UK or Germany.

In some cases your order may incur customs and duties charges upon delivery. These are the responsibility of the purchaser.

View our shipping policy
All Magnum Square Prints come with a choice of three framing options: our standard custom wooden frame in black or white, or a new premium walnut frame.

Our premium walnut frames feature plexiglass on both sides, showcasing the signature label via a cutout on the rear. All of these contemporary custom frames are hand-crafted by expert framers.
About the Photographer

David Seymour

David Szymin was born in 1911 in Warsaw into a family of publishers that produced works in Yiddish and Hebrew. His family moved to Russia at the outbreak of the First World War, returning to Warsaw in 1919.

After studying printing in Leipzig and chemistry and physics at the Sorbonne in the 1930s, Szymin stayed on in Paris. David Rappaport, a family friend who owned the pioneering picture agency Rap, lent him a camera. One of Szymin’s first stories, about night workers, was influenced by Brassaï’s Paris de Nuit (1932). Szymin – or ‘Chim’ – began working as a freelance photographer. From 1934, his picture stories appeared regularly in Paris-Soir and Regards. Through Maria Eisner and the new Alliance agency, Chim met Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa.

In 1947, along with Cartier-Bresson, Capa, George Rodger, and William Vandivert, he founded Magnum Photos. He was commissioned by UNICEF the following year to photograph Europe’s children in need. He went on to photograph major stories across Europe, Hollywood stars on European locations, and the emergence of the State of Israel. After Robert Capa’s death, he became the new president of Magnum. He held this post until 10 November 1956, when, traveling near the Suez Canal to cover a prisoner exchange, he was killed by Egyptian machine-gun fire.

Square Print Sale: Spectacle

For this Square Print Sale, Magnum photographers explore how our attention is captured by visual displays: spectacles.

A “spectacle” can signify a show, a performance, a public display, or an act of theatre. It suggests something that we willingly observe, with curiosity, wonder, or even contempt. These images have the appeal of something “to look at,” exploring the seductiveness and magnetism of the visual image, with each opening up an opportunity for discussion. The full curation unveils the vast spectrum of spectacle in our world — from the breathtaking to the bizarre, the public to the personal.

Over 80 signed or estate-stamped, museum-quality 6x6” prints will be available online for one week, priced from $110/£110/€120.

The Spectacle Square Print Sale runs Monday, April 21 at 9 a.m. ET and ends Sunday, April 27 at 11:59 p.m.

SHOP THE FULL COLLECTION

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