A time for reflection: Magnum at 70

It was over a celebratory bottle of champagne in 1947 that four visionary photographers – David Seymour, Robert Capa, George Rodger and Henri Cartier-Bresson – would form what would become one of the most influential creative alliances in history. The latter would go on to describe Magnum Photos as "a community of thought, a shared human quality, a curiosity about what is going on in the world, a respect for what is going on and a desire to transcribe it visually". Since then the cooperative has had just 92 members (it currently has 49) who have provided a visual documentation of some of the most important moments of our times.

As it reaches its 70th anniversary, the agency is celebrating with a global programme of events throughout the year. Each will be centred around three core themes: community, witnessing history and Magnum Photos Now, exploring the institution's connection to past and present visual culture.

Among the varied displays will be a takeover of the Paris Metro from 28 February, in which 174 Magnum photographs will be shown across 11 stations of the transport network. From 3 March to 21 May, the lens will turn to Italy, as the country's history is explored through photographs from the 1940s to the present day at the Fondazione Camera in Torino. Across the Atlantic, there will be a similarly reflective look at the Big Apple, with the exhibition Early Magnum: On & In New York. Showing at the National Arts Club from 29 March to 28 April, the exhibition will showcase some of the agency's earliest images of the city.

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In London, Magnum's president Martin Parr will curate a selection of prints belonging to David Hurn, a collection the photography connoisseur has built up over the years mostly through swapping with fellow photographers, which will be on display at Somerset House from 18 to 21 May. The month will also see a new body of work created by Alessandra Sanguinetti, Carl de Keyzer and Mark Power in a live pop-up lab in Clerkenwell, highlighting their response to the local surroundings.

Image: James Dean, Times Square, New York, 1955. © Dennis Stock / Magnum Photos magnumphotos.com