Moorgate Tube, 2005 - Matt Stuart

Failed It! photographer Matt Stuart joins Magnum

Congratulations to the street photographer who was made a Magnum nominee at the agency's AGM

His sharply observed street photography may have been included in Erik Kessels’ book dedicated to creative mistakes, Failed It!, yet Matt Stuart’s professional skills have just won him a place as a nominee member of Magnum Photos, the world’s most prestigious photography agency.

The London street photographer was voted in at Magnum’s recent annual general meeting, on the strength of his current portfolio, which the photographer shot almost entirely on his Leica MP, using 35mm Fuji film.

 

Hyde Park, 2006 - Matt Stuart
Hyde Park, 2006 - Matt Stuart

A fan of Joel Meyerowitz and Garry Winogrand, Stuart assisted the British photographer Marcus Lyon, before striking out on his own, creating the kind of ironically observed, street documentary, which we tend to associate with US practitioners.

Despite this American influence, Stuart’s work has impressed one prominent UK practitioner – the Phaidon author and erstwhile Magnum president, Staurt Franklin, author of The Documentary Impulse.

 

Trafalgar Square, 2006 - Matt Stuart
Trafalgar Square, 2006 - Matt Stuart

“Matt is a very accomplished street photographer – one of the best-known street photographers in Britain – so it’s good for us that he wanted to join Magnum,” said Franklin. “He’s a nice guy too and gets on with us very well. He’s a team player, so we’re looking forward to working with him."

 

New Bond Street, 2006 - Matt Stuart
New Bond Street, 2006 - Matt Stuart

That collegiate manner will help Stuart, if he wishes to progress from nominee to associate, and finally full Magnum member. You can see more of Stuart’s work in our new Erik Kessels book, Failed It!; more about Franklin's work in The Documentary Impulse; and see a great deal from Magnum members past and present in the many Magnum books we proudly publish.