La première fois

For the Rencontres photographiques d'Arles, in 2012, François Hébel requested Magnum photographers to recall their "first time" - namely that delicate moment of transition that "distinguished" them and that marked an actual turning-point in their artistic careers. The "Magnum. La première fois" volume has been inspired by that instant and recalls - thanks to the series of photographs by Abbas, Christopher Anderson, Olivia Arthur, Bruno Barbey, Cornell Capa, Robert Capa, Chien-Chi Chang, Bruce Gilden, Harry Gruyaert, David Alan Harvey, Thomas Hoepker, Richard Kalvar, Peter Marlow, Susan Meiselas, Paolo Pellegrin, Gueorgui Pinkhassov, Eli Reed, Jacob Aue Sobol, Larry Towell and Alex Webb - the particular moment in which artists distance themselves from their teachers and come up with a language, an aesthetic form and a grammar that are theirs and theirs alone. The moment in which their concept of photography, together with their commitment, acquire meaning and individuality for the first time.