ICP Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Fund for Concerned Photography

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the fund its founder Cornell Capa created with a series of activities and public programs.

Known as the International Fund for Concerned Photography, it was established in 1966 to honor Cornell’s brother, photojournalist Robert Capa, and his colleagues Werner Bischof, Chim (David Seymour), and Dan Weiner, who died on assignment in the 1950s. Cornell was driven to preserve his brother’s legacy and keep humanitarian documentary work in the public eye

Cornell chose the phrase “concerned photographer” to describe Robert and those photographers who demonstrated in their work an impulse to make images that educate and change the world, not just document it. By 1974, the Fund needed a home, and the International Center of Photography was born. Today, it is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture.

“Since its founding, ICP has examined how images impact and influence social change. The concept of ‘concerned photography’ is increasingly important in today’s global image-making culture,” said Mark Lubell, ICP’s Executive Director. “The ICP community strives to honor Cornell’s vision while adapting and changing as photography evolves.”

Throughout 2016, ICP will highlight 50 concerned photographers via its social media channels (#ICP50) and will produce a series of public programs exploring documentary work. The featured photographers span more than a century and include:

• Alexander Gardner (American, b. Scotland, 1821–1882)
• John Thomson (Scottish, 1837–1921)
• Jacob Riis (American, b. Denmark, 1849–1914) with Henry G. Piffard (American, 1842–1910) and Richard Hoe Lawrence
• Lewis Wickes Hine (American, 1874–1940)
• Dorothea Lange (American, 1885–1965)
• Roman Vishniac (American, b. Russia, 1897–1990)
• Russell Lee (American, 1903–1986)
• Henri Cartier-Bresson (French, 1908–2004)
• Milton Rogovin (American, 1909–2011)
• Gerda Taro (German, 1910–1937)
• Chim (David Seymour) (American, b. Poland, 1911–1956)
• Robert Capa (American, b. Hungary, 1913–1954)
• Gordon Parks (American, 1912–2006)
• David Douglas Duncan (American, b. 1916)
• W. Eugene Smith (American, 1918–1978)
• Cornell Capa (American, b. Hungary, 1918–2008)
• Dickey Chapelle (American, 1919–1965)
• David Goldblatt (South African, b. 1930)
• Charles Moore (American, 1931–2010)
• Peter Magubane (South African, b. 1932)
• Bruce Davidson (American, b. 1933)
• Letizia Battaglia (Italian, b. 1935) and Franco Zecchin
• Don McCullin (British, b. 1935)
• Phillip Jones Griffiths (Welsh, 1936–2008)
• Mary Ellen Mark (American, 1940–2015)
• Eugene Richards (American, b. 1944)
• Catherine Leroy (French, 1945–2006)
• Susan Meiselas (American, b. 1948)
• Sebastião Salgado (Brazilian, b. 1944)
• Eli Reed (American, b. 1946)
• Donna Ferrato (American, b. 1949)
• Gilles Peress (French, b. 1946)
• Donna De Cesare (American, b. 1955)
• Wendy Ewald (American, b. 1951)
• Jim Goldberg (American, b. 1953)
• Ed Kashi (American, b. 1957)
• Miki Kratsman (Israeli, b. Argentina 1959)
• Gideon Mendel (South African, b. 1959)
• Nina Berman (American, b. 1960)
• Chien-Chi Chang (Taiwanese, b. 1961)
• Ron Haviv (American, b. 1965)
• Fazal Sheikh (American, b. 1965)
• Tyler Hicks (American, b. 1969)
• Matt Black (American, b. 1970)
• Tim Hetherington (British, 1970–2011)
• Zanele Muholi (South African, b. 1972)
• Lynsey Addario (American, b. 1973)
• Stephanie Sinclair (American, b. 1973)
• LaToya Ruby Frazier (American, b. 1982)

Fueled by the lasting importance and relevance of his brother’s work, Cornell mounted The Concerned Photographer exhibition in 1967 at the Riverside Museum in New York, featuring the work of Robert, Chim, Bischof, Weiner, and Leonard Freed. In 1968, Cornell published The Concerned Photographer anthology. He served as ICP’s director until his retirement in 1994.