The Family of Migrants - (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Family of Migrants mirrors Edward Steichen's 1955 Family of Man exhibition, focusing on migration through 400 global photographs, exploring departure, journey, arrival, family, loss, and love.

The Family of Migrants is inspired by the legendary exhibition The Family of Man, an ode to humanity created by photographer and curator Edward Steichen, that opened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1955. This book features around 200 photographs and will show the most striking photography that tells universal, timeless stories of human existence, such as departure, journey and arrival, and themes like family, loss and love.

Among the hundreds of images are iconic as well as unknown photos by, among many others, James Nachtwey, Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Capa, Imogen Cunningham, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry, Stephan Vanfleteren, Lewis Hine, Chien-Chi Chang, Abbas Attar, Robert de Hartogh, Wang Fuchun, Dorothea Lange, Ara Gu]ler, Leonard Freed, Ata Kandó and Ishiuchi Miyako.

Review Quotes

"...intensely moving..." -- "The Financial Times, exhibition review"

"...features a selection of the most striking photography on the subject of migration, bringing together 194 photographs from 55 countries taken by 136 photographers." -- "FAD Magazine, exhibition review"

"...features hundreds of photographs of migrants organized into three sections: departures, journeys and arrivals. Among them are Alfred Stieglitz's 1907 image of passengers on a ship from the United States to Europe, and John Moore's 2018 color photo of a toddler from Honduras who cried beside her mother as they were detained by border guards in Texas. The installation, and accompanying book, with more photographs, was inspired by Edward Steichen's famous 1955 photo book, "The Family of Man,"....which also sought to universalize human experiences across the globe through photography."-- "The New York Times, exhibition review"

"...offers artistic, historical and individual perspectives on the topic of migration from the very spot where, in the 19th century, millions of emigrants departed on ships to North America."

-- "MSM, Exhibition Review"

"This ambitious presentation gathers 194 photographs taken by 136 photographers across 55 countries, offering a global perspective on migration through a mix of documentary images, portraits and journalistic photography sourced from international archives, museum collections, image banks and newspapers..... [it] seeks to highlight the commonalities in migration experiences across time and geography, emphasizing its universality as a fundamental human condition." -- "The Observer, exhibition Review"

About the Author

Joumana El Zein Khoury (b. 1975) is executive director of World Press Photo. She was formerly director of the Prince Claus Fund. El Zein Khoury was born in Lebanon. She studied in New York and Paris and now lives in the Netherlands.

Anke Reitz (b. 1981) was curator of photography at the Centre National de l'Audiovisuel (CNA) in Luxembourg. There, she oversaw the Steichen Collection, including the exhibition The Family of Man.

Hanneke Mantel (b. 1995) is head of exhibitions and collections at Fenix and curator of The Family of Migrants. She is responsible for the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions, collection and publications.

Stine Jensen (b. 1972) is a philosopher, writer, columnist and programme maker. She writes books for adults and children. Stine Jensen emigrated from Denmark to the Netherlands at a young age.

Rodaan Galidi (b. 1971) is an author and poet. He was born in Iraq and has lived in the Netherlands since 1998. His novel Two Blankets, Three Sheets is based on his experiences in Dutch asylum seekers' centres.

Ahmad Danny Ramadan (b. 1984) is an author and advocates for the rights of refugees belonging to the LGBTQ+ community. In his memoir Crooked Teeth, he describes how he had to flee Syria and build a new life in Canada.

Rim Battal (b. 1987) is a poet, journalist and artist. She is the author of the poetry collections Vingt poèmes et des poussières and Latex. Battal was born in Morocco and now commutes between Paris and Marrakech.

Asma Khan (b. 1969) is a restaurateur and cookbook author. She was featured with her London restaurant, Darjeeling Express, in the Netflix series Chef's Table. Khan was born in India and moved to the UK with her husband.

C Pam Zhang (b. 1990) emigrated from China to the United States at a young age. She is the author of the bestsellers How Much of These Hills Is Gold and Land of Milk and Honey.