ROBERT CAPA
12 THE lIST
Photographer ROBERT CAPA documented the 20th century from' the heart of the action. His first-hand experiences of the horrors of war and the glamour of the celebrity circuit are on display in
Edinburgh. ".'.::'::s.: Susanna Beaumont
ROBERT CAPA DID nol hung oul on liles sidelines. 'l‘he phologrupher. n ho delixered some of lhe l‘inesl und hleukesl meinoriuls lo lelh
eenlur) nurl‘ure. |i\ ed und died h} his uduge ‘il~
lhe phologruph is no good. _\ou ure nol elose enough'. In lhe nume ol' gelling elose. ('upu look purl in [he l)-|)u) Norniund} lundings in l‘)44 und puruehuled in lo .\'u/i (iernlun) nilh l'S troops in l‘)45. And in 1954. ul lhe uge of 43. he
died n liile emering lhe l’reneh lndoehinu nur
n'hen he slepped on u Iundinine. llere n'us u mun on the lronlline of lil'e.
.\ mun ol‘ roguish good looks. ('upu is un eus_\ lurgel l‘or romunlie lll_\‘l|l-lllllkc‘l‘s. Born lindre l-riedmun in Budupesl in WI 1. he nus. l'roin lhe slurl. u l‘ronlliner. l.el‘lish sentimenls gol him lhl'onn olll ol' llungury in I‘BI. prompling
him lo sellle in Berlin. n here iniliul sludies in
ioni'nulisin leud lo nork in u pholo ugene}.
l'neuse n'ilh the rise ol‘ lliller pushed ('upu lo l’uris. liuger lo sell his nork. he udopled lhe murkeling pin} or inxenling un Amerieun phologrupher ehurueler h} lhe nume ol 'Roherl (‘upuf When the rose nus disemered. he dilehed his reul nuine und ol'l‘ieiull} heeuine his im'enlion.
l-‘or Philip Long. eurulor of lhe relrospeeliVe ul lidinhnrgh‘s .\'ulionu| (iullel‘) of Modern :\rl. ’(‘upu is u pioneer of pholojournulism n'ho nus ulso un urehel_\pul l'usl-lzilkiiig. l'usl-drinking mun ul lhe l‘usl end of soeiely'. [fiends nilh lirnesl lleiningnu}. (iury (‘ooper und l’ieusso. us n'ell us u lo\ er of lhe uelress Ingrid Bergmun. ('upu's guiding