We Went Back

Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim

This retrospective exhibition traces the development of Chim's career as an intellectually engaged photojournalist, placing his life and work in the broader context of 1930s–50s photography and European politics. Born Dawid Szymin in Warsaw, Chim (who after WWII published under the name David Seymour) began his career in 1933 photographing for leftist magazines in Paris. In 1936, along with his friends Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, Chim traveled to Spain to photograph the civil war in support of the Republican side, publishing regularly in all the major European and American picture magazines. Chim was an astute observer of 20th-century European political affairs, workers' rights, and culture, from the beginnings of the antifascist struggle to the rebuilding of countries ravaged by World War II. The exhibition showcases over 120 mainly vintage black-and white and color prints, publications in which his work originally appeared, contact sheets, and personal material. The exhibition is organized by ICP Curator Cynthia Young.

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A crowd of people outside looking up.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Woman nursing a baby at a land reform meeting, near Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain], April–May 1936. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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Picasso standing in front of his abstract art.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Picasso in front of his painting Guernica, Paris], 1937. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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A large group of people outside.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Crowd listening to a speech by Socialist Pietro Nenni, Basilica di Massenzio, Rome], March 11, 1948. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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Kids playing in ruins.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Girls playing in the ruins of a former orphanage, Monte Cassino, Italy], 1948. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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A lot of men in line.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Workers at the canteen, Vatican City, Rome], 1949. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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A group of people outside.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Wedding under an improvised huppah propped up with guns and pitchforks, Israel], 1952. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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A person surrounded by plants.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Woman in her garden amid ruins, Frankfurt, Germany], 1947. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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Four kids playing at the beach.
We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim
Chim, [Children playing on Omaha Beach, Normandy, France], 1947. © Chim (David Seymour)/Magnum Photos.
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An exhibition on David "Chim" Seymour.
ICP Midtown
Jan 18, 2013 - May 05, 2013

Special Thanks

This exhibition is made possible by The John and Anna Maria Phillips Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Bernard Lee Schwartz Foundation, Inc., by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and with the support of the Polish Cultural Institute New York.