Chim: Children of War

"Chim picked up his camera the way a doctor takes his stethoscope out of his bag, applying his diagnosis to the condition of the heart. His own was vulnerable."—Henri Cartier-Bresson

Among the great masters of European photography, Chim endures as a legend. Along with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and George Rodger, he co-founded photojournalism's famous cooperative, Magnum Photos, and occupies a special place in the canon.

This retrospective monograph gathers hundreds of rolls of film Chim shot shortly after World War II for UNICEF. One of Chim's best-known projects, this series was printed by Life in 1948 and by UNICEF is 1949. However, myriad images were left unpublished, hidden from the public audience. Chim: Children of War, created in close collaboration with Chim's estate, unveils many of these never-before-seen photographs, further cementing Chim as one of the most influential photographers of our time, an image-maker whose emotional empathy remains unmatched.

David Seymour (Chim) was born in Warsaw, Poland. He later moved to Paris to study art and soon gravitated to photography to begin his life's work—a tableau of haunting social portraits and critiques of the twentieth century's turbulent events. Chim was killed by gunfire while on assign¬ment in the Suez in 1956.

Carole Naggar is a poet and photography historian based in New York City. Born in Cairo, Egypt, Naggar has authored many works on photographers and their medium, including books on George Rodger, Werner Bischof, and Chim. She has been a regular contributor to Aperture since 1988.