We live in times when digital archives increasingly shape our understanding of history. Countless moments of the past exist now only in the form of photographs – fleeting, and in many cases, slowly fading with time. In January 2025, Magnum Photos, in collaboration with Fujifilm and the Médiathèque du Patrimoine et de la Photographie (MPP), launched ‘A World in Color ’ – a groundbreaking and ambitious initiative to digitize the agency’s Paris color library archive.
Spanning over six decades, this archive remained largely out of sight, holding approximately 650,000 color slides from Magnum’s iconic collection, dating from the 1950s to the early 2000s. From post-war Europe to revolutionary movements across Latin America, our GFX cameras help digitise previously unseen images by some of the most renowned photographers of the 20th century, offering an unparalleled view of the world’s most defining moments.
How did it start?
Founded in 1947 by a group of visionary photographers, Magnum Photos is one of the most renowned and influential photo agencies in the world. They aimed not only to document the world but also to do so with an unfiltered, humanistic approach, revealing profound truths about society, culture, and politics.
Some time ago, Magnum realized they were sitting on hundreds of thousands of slides, most of which had never been seen. Fidel Castro rallying in the streets of Havana, or post-war Prague uprising against the Soviet invasion in 1968 – for decades, these unique images were locked away in the silence of archive boxes. And the challenge of preserving them for future generations grew more urgent, especially as the physical medium tends to degrade. So, that is where a major preservation project got born – to ensure that future generations could experience these moments in vivid detail.
Bridging the past and the future
‘A World in Color ‘ marks a new chapter for the long-term collaboration between Magnum and Fujifilm. It offers a rare glimpse into unseen images, as well as a newly commissioned, exclusive series by Magnum photographers, shot using the Fujifilm GFX camera. These color slides hold visual histories that no book or article can convey. And now, they are being brought back into the light.
For a project of this scale, preserving the integrity of the original images while ensuring their future accessibility is paramount. To ensure the highest quality reproduction, Magnum Photos chose the Fujifilm GFX100 II, a medium-format digital camera equipped with an innovative 102MP sensor and the latest image processing engine. It is designed to capture the smallest nuances of color and texture that are vital when digitizing aging slides. Delivering the highest burst-shooting, AF, and stabilization in the history of the GFX Series, it turns the images from relics of the past into living pieces of history that stand up to modern standards of photographic excellence.
Why it matters
Projects like ‘A World in Color’ speak directly to our mission: to innovate continuously while honoring the past, shaping the present, and safeguarding the future. We believe there is more to a photograph than just being a memory, it’s a document of truth and a gateway to understanding. It’s a bridge between generations and a way to preserve the fabric of our collective human experience.
With every frame brought back to life using our GFX technology, we’re amplifying the voices of incredible photographers and preserving unique visual stories so that they can continue to inspire, educate, and move us.
FUJIKINA 2025: a global dialogue
To highlight the project, a yearlong program of exhibitions and talks will take place across six European countries, with Fujifilm’s traveling FUJIKINA events. In each city, a curated exhibition – unique to that country – will unveil unseen photographs from the same region, tracing its history and culture during the 20th century, alongside the new series made in response to the archive. The featured Magnum photographers will be on-site too, sharing personal insights into their creative process during a live talk.
The tour had already had its first stop in Prague this March – with the first new series of images shot by Rafał Milach in response to the unseen Magnum color archives of Czechia. It sees him return to Upper Silesia — an area stretching from southern Poland into areas of Czechia — that he had documented twenty years ago.
Don’t miss the next FUJIKINA in your region:
Brussels, Belgium
May 24–25, 2025
with Myriam Boulos, Carl de Keyzer, and Bieke Depoorter
Arles, the Netherlands
with Gregory Halpern
(keep an eye on the updates)
Learn more here.
