Robert Capa: In the Making

Photographer and war reporter Robert Capa (1913–54) is a legend of photojournalism, and his work, widely recognized and sometimes controversial, shaped the history of the medium. Born Endre Friedmann to Jewish parents in Budapest, he left Hungary in the early 1930s and took the pseudonym Robert Capa, believing that it was easier to sell his work with an American-sounding name. He went on to cover the major events of the mid-20th century: from the rise of Front Populaire in France to the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and Indochina, where he was killed by a landmine. This retrospective uses both iconic and rarely-seen images to retrace the story of Capa’s life, delving into archives and presenting not only the original photographs but also the magazine features in which they first appeared, to offer valuable context and connection. Charismatic and committed, Capa redefined what it was to be a photojournalist, and his unforgettable images have lost none of their power to fascinate.