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Label TextSince the early 1950s, Micha Bar-Am has been devoted to documenting scenes of Israeli life and is now considered one of the country’s foremost photographers. As a member of the Magnum collective, he worked as a documentarian, but also put a strong emphasis on photographic composition, pairing journalism with a strong sense of aesthetics.
DimensionsOverall: 9 3/8 x 6 1/4 in. (23.8 x 15.9 cm)
Accession Number 2025.280
Classificationsphotograph
ProvenanceJeff Perry; Des Moines Art Center [gift from the previous, 2025]
Fatah prisoners praying towards Mecca, Ramle Prison, Israel
Image Not Available for Fatah prisoners praying towards Mecca, Ramle Prison, Israel
Image Not Available for Yom Kippur War: the Israeli army made a rapid advance towards the Suez Canal and took hundreds of Egyptian soldiers as prisoners of war. Afterwards, they were loaded in trucks and taken to a special camp, Fayed, Egypt, October 24, 1973
Yom Kippur War: the Israeli army made a rapid advance towards the Suez Canal and took hundreds of Egyptian soldiers as prisoners of war. Afterwards, they were loaded in trucks and taken to a special camp, Fayed, Egypt, October 24, 1973
1973
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
A Christmas Eve service in the church of the Nativity. The Grand Patriarch of Jerusalem moves towards the altar, Bethlehem
George Rodger
1952
Image Not Available for Student Pilots: Warrant officer candidates Donald Jacoby, left, and Michael Honara carry their bags towards a waiting helicopter at the end of field duty near Fort Rucker, Alabama. They are both scheduled to go out to Vietnam to serve as helicopter pilots within a few weeks, after finishing training and graduating from the Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker. The Indochina war has made the wings of the helicopter pilot a status symbol that has eclipsed the Green Beret. And the Army says it has no shortage of young men who want to become pilots, March 1971
Student Pilots: Warrant officer candidates Donald Jacoby, left, and Michael Honara carry their bags towards a waiting helicopter at the end of field duty near Fort Rucker, Alabama. They are both scheduled to go out to Vietnam to serve as helicopter pilots within a few weeks, after finishing training and graduating from the Army Aviation School at Fort Rucker. The Indochina war has made the wings of the helicopter pilot a status symbol that has eclipsed the Green Beret. And the Army says it has no shortage of young men who want to become pilots, March 1971
1971
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Sariwon, Korea: Civilian police guard North Korea Communists captured in the city. The prisoners have their hands tied behind their backs and huddle together for warmth. Just what will become of the prisoners in the event of further withdrawals is not unknown, December 12, 1950
1950
Image Not Available for Sanpans laden with prisoners released by the South Vietnamese head for North Vietnamese shore, July 12th, 1970. The former prisoners toss items given to them by the South Vietnamese overboard
Sanpans laden with prisoners released by the South Vietnamese head for North Vietnamese shore, July 12th, 1970. The former prisoners toss items given to them by the South Vietnamese overboard
1970
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Il gran canale verso Rialto, Venezia (The Grand Canal towards Rialto, Venice)
Carlo Naya
ca. 1860s -1870s
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Gefangene Musik Hörend (Prisoners Listening to Music)
Käthe Kollwitz
1925
Image Not Available for Praying during day of mourning, Tisha B’Av, Hebron
Praying during day of mourning, Tisha B’Av, Hebron
1971
Image Not Available for Sharon offers resignation: Defense Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel resigned as a consequence of his indirect role in the killing of Palestinian refugees in the Beirut camps of Sabra and Shatila by Lebanese Christian phalanges between September 16th to 18th, 1982 as the result of a four months investigation. The 54 year old Defense Minister was the principal architect of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon last year, and had been battling for his political survival since the outcome of the enquiry’s report. The last official function of Ariel Sharon on the day the commission report was published, attending in Tel Aviv a meeting of the “Jabotinsky Order” (a portrait on the wall of Zeev Jabotinsky Zionist Revisionist Movement and Menahem Begin’s spiritual leader), February 8, 1983
Sharon offers resignation: Defense Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel resigned as a consequence of his indirect role in the killing of Palestinian refugees in the Beirut camps of Sabra and Shatila by Lebanese Christian phalanges between September 16th to 18th, 1982 as the result of a four months investigation. The 54 year old Defense Minister was the principal architect of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon last year, and had been battling for his political survival since the outcome of the enquiry’s report. The last official function of Ariel Sharon on the day the commission report was published, attending in Tel Aviv a meeting of the “Jabotinsky Order” (a portrait on the wall of Zeev Jabotinsky Zionist Revisionist Movement and Menahem Begin’s spiritual leader), February 8, 1983
1983
Image Not Available for Savoy Hotel Attack: officers running toward the hotel, Tel Aviv, March 6, 1975
Savoy Hotel Attack: officers running toward the hotel, Tel Aviv, March 6, 1975
1975
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
During the Six Day War, a Hassidic Jew views the destruction of the Old City walls, Jerusalem, Israel
Leonard Freed
1967
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Man hanging from prison cell bars doing pullups, NYC
Leonard Freed
1972