The second in an acclaimed series of illustrated biographies of Magnum photographers, this volume chronicles the life and work of Bruce Davidson, a truly American artist, iconoclast, and humanist.



Bruce Davidson began his love affair with photography at age ten. The son of a hardworking divorced mother, he was a loner who disliked school and had difficulty conforming to the world round him. His camera released him from the boundaries of his youth and opened the doors to a lifetime's work. Vicki Goldberg's authoritative text explores the wide range of his vision and technique, and reveals how his work has played a critical role in twentieth-century photography. The text includes beautifully reproduced images from his most iconic series such as Brooklyn Gang, East 100th Street, Subway, and Time of Change: Civil Rights Photographs, along with never-before-seen archival material from Davidson's private archive. Davidson's photographs reveal his curiosity about, and empathy for, his subjects; whether he is documenting circuses, gangs, East Harlem tenements, Jewish cafeterias, Welsh miners, or Central Park, Davidson imbues his work with an eye for narrative. His pictures tell stories-and he lets them speak for themselves. The result is a comprehensive and elegantly presented portrait of an artist's life and work.