Mayotte Magnus FRPS (born 1934) is a French-born photographer and Fellow of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

, who has lived most of her adult life in England. She has exhibited at the

Fonds national d'art contemporain The Fonds national d'art contemporain (FNAC; National Foundation for Contemporary Art) is a public collection of contemporary art in France. It does not hold exhibitions but acquires and stores works of art that it loans to museums, cultural instit ...

(1974), the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

(1977) and the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

(1981).

Biography

After spending her early years in Paris, France, she settled in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, England, in 1959 on her marriage to George Magnus. She started her career as a photographer in 1971, having previously been focusing on classical dance, classical guitar, choreography and painting.Biography
Mayotte Magnus website. In 1972, she won two prizes in the Ilford International competition. She became a fellow of the

in 1973, and the following year had a one-woman show at

Fnac Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics. Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...

, Paris. In 1977, the

(NPG) commissioned her to photograph 100 eminent British women of her choice, with the resultant portraits being shown for two months in an exhibition (21 October–11 December)."Mayotte Magnus: Photographs of Women"
Press Notice, National Portrait Gallery. Choosing not only women well known to the public, Magnus rather selected her subjects "for the nature of their achievements. Each one has, by developing her own interests and talents, contributed to the community, and in working for personal fulfilment has brought benefit to others." Among the women included were

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

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Laura Ashley Laura Ashley (née Mountney; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s, expanding the business into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s ...

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, Christina Foyle,

Marjorie Proops Rebecca Marjorie Proops OBE (formerly Rayle, née Israel; 10 August 1911 – 10 November 1996) was a journalist and agony aunt in the United Kingdom, writing the column ''Dear Marje'' for the ''Daily Mirror'' newspaper. Proops was born in Woki ...

, and Dame Barbara Hepworth. It was the first photographic exhibition in the Gallery’s history to focus exclusively on female achievement, and in September 2018 a selection of the portraits was mounted in a new display at the NPG. Magnus divorced her first husband in 1974, and during the late 1970s/early '80s she married the photographer

Jorge Lewinski Jorge Lewinski (25 March 1921 – 31 January 2008) was a Polish–British photographer and soldier. Biography Born in Lwów, Poland (now Lviv, Ukraine), in 1921, Lewinski survived Russian occupation, internment, and forced labour in Siberia. A ...

(1921–2008), with whom she collaborated on a series of photographically illustrated books. Lewinski died in 2008. Magnus has worked to restore the in

Alan, Haute-Garonne Alan () is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Geography The commune is bordered by seven other communes: Bachas to the north, Terrebasse to the northeast, Marignac-Laspeyres to the east, Le Fréchet to the s ...

, a home that she shared with her husband. The building contains a large number of paintings and photographs.

Selected exhibitions

*1972: Paris, La Fnac. *1973: Istanbul, Hotel Intercontinental *1977: London, National Portrait Gallery – Eminent British Women *1978: London, Great Hall in Parliament: ''Women'', for the 50 Years of Women's Vote *1979: USA, San Francisco, Focus Gallery, with Jorge (Yuri) Lewinski and Yusuf Karsh *1980: London, Institute of Contemporary Art, ''Women’s Images of Men'' *2004: Seventy portraits of the inhabitants of the village of Alan, showing a French village at the turn of the millennium. *2005: ''The Seven Ages of Woman'', taking

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's theme, Seven Ages of Man, a 30-year retrospective. *2008: France: Carla Bayle: Photographer of the month of Photography *2016: ''L’oeil de Proust'' at l’Espace Bonnefoy, Toulouse, France **''Noirs sur Blancs'' at Maison Patrimoniale de Barthète, Boussan *2018, 8 September–24 March 2019: ''Illuminating Women'', National Portrait Gallery *2024: 1/11/24 to 1/12/24, 'Seven Ages of Woman', 69 Old High Street, Folkestone CT20 1RN

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus, Mayotte 1934 births 20th-century French women photographers 20th-century French photographers 21st-century French women photographers 21st-century French photographers Fellows of the Royal Photographic Society French emigrants to the United Kingdom Living people