Robert Capa

Robert Capa - Hungarian Men, Timeline and Childhood

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Robert Capa's Personal Details

Robert Capa was a Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist who later became a naturalized US citizen

InformationDetail
BirthdayOctober 22, 1913
Died onMay 25, 1954
NationalityHungarian
FamousMedia Personalities, Photographers, Hungarian Men
SiblingsCornell Capa
Known asEndre Ernő Friedmann
Universities
  • Deutsche Hochschule für Politik
Founder / Co-Founder
  • International Center of Photography
  • Magnum Photos
Cause of death
  • Accident
Birth PlaceBudapest
ReligionJudaism
GenderMale
Sun SignLibra
Born inBudapest
Famous asPhotographer
Died at Age40

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Robert Capa's photo

Who is Robert Capa?

Robert Capa was a Hungarian war photographer and photojournalist who later became a naturalized US citizen. He is considered to be one of the greatest war photographers of all time as he covered the Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the First Indochina War. His extensive works include the documentation of the course of World War II in London, North Africa, Italy, the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris. His action photographs portray a very chilling and up-close view of the violence in war-ravaged regions, like the ones he took during the 1944 Normandy invasion. He risked his life many times during the wars to get extremely critical shots. When he fell in love for the first time, his lady-love was killed during the war. This news emotionally broke him and he vowed never to marry. He founded the Magnum Photos agency with some of his photographer friends to help other free-lancing photojournalists. He was famous for saying, "If your photographs aren't good enough, you're not close enough". While covering the First Indochina War, he jumped out of the jeep in a dangerous area to get a better shot, stepped on a landmine and succumbed to his injuries.

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Childhood & Early Life

Robert Capa was born as Endre Friedmann on October 22, 1913 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. His parents, Dezso and Julia Friedmann were Jewish tailors.

In 1931, a group of socialists, artists, photographers and intellectuals inspired him to participate in the demonstration against the Miklos Horthy regime. The Hungarian secret police arrested him and released him on the condition that he would leave the country immediately.

He moved to Berlin, Germany, and started studying journalism at the German Political College, but then the Nazi party implemented laws that restricted Jews from going to college.

Robert Capa wished to be a writer, but he got a photographer's job and eventually he started liking it. His first published photograph was of Leon Trotsky making the 'Meaning of the Russian Revolution' speech at Copenhagen in 1932.

In 1933 he moved to France as the Jewish journalists and photographers were being persecuted in Germany with the rise of Nazism.

Fearing for his life he chucked his Jewish name and adopted the name “Robert Capa”, as he believed this was more American-sounding. The name change even helped him in selling his photos.

Career

He photographed the Spanish Civil War along with Gerda Taro and David Seymour from 1936 to 1939. While fleeing Europe in 1939, Capa lost some part of this collection, which resurfaced decades later in 1990 in Mexico City.

In 1936, he became globally renowned for his 'Falling Soldier' photograph taken at the Cordoba Front, where a loyalist militiaman had been shot and was in the act of falling to his death. A photograph with such dexterity became controversial and its authenticity was doubted.

In 1938, he went to Hankow (now Wuhan) in China to document their resistance against the Japanese invasion and moved to New York City before the beginning of the World War II. During the war, he worked for ‘Collier's Weekly’ and ‘Life’ magazine.

During the Allied invasion in 1944, he was with the first wave of American troops on Omaha Beach that faced the heaviest resistance from German troops in the Atlantikwall bunkers. Capa took a total of 106 pictures but only 11 survived after a photo lab accident in London.

Capa went to the Soviet Union in 1947 with his American-writer friend John Steinbeck, whose journal 'A Russian Journal' (1948) was illustrated with Capa's photos. The photos were taken in Moscow, Kiev, Tbilisi, Batumi and the ruins of Stalingrad.

In 1947 he, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Vandivert, David Seymour and George Rodger founded the cooperative venture, Magnum Photos in Paris. The agency managed work for, and by freelance photographers. He became its president in 1952.

In the early 1950s he went to Japan for a Magnum Photos' exhibition. There, he got an assignment by ‘Life’ magazine to go to Southeast Asia and document the First Indochina War. He was accompanied by two Time-Life journalists, John Mecklin and Jim Lucas, on this project.

Major Works

His most famous images are 'The Magnificent Eleven', a group of photographs taken on D-Day (June 6, 1944).

Personal Life & Legacy

In 1934, Robert Capa met and fell in love with a German Jewish refugee named Gerda Pohorylle. She later changed her name to Gerda Taro. She was killed during a battle in Madrid and this loss broke him and he never married.

In 1943 he met a lady named Elaine Justin, who was already married to the actor John Justin. They became involved in a relationship but broke up in 1945.

Later on he started dating actress Ingrid Bergman and went to Hollywood with her. There he worked for American International Pictures for some time. But they parted ways when he left for Turkey in 1946.

On May 25, 1954, he was accompanying the French regiment through a dangerous area while covering the First Indochina War when he got off the jeep to get better photographs. In doing so, he stepped on a landmine and was grievously injured. He was declared 'dead on arrival' at the hospital.

In 1974, Robert's brother Cornell founded the International Center of Photography in New York to give his brother's photographic collections a permanent home.

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Robert Capa's awards

YearNameAward

Other

0World Press Photo Award for General News

Robert Capa biography timelines

  • // 22nd Oct 1913
    Robert Capa was born as Endre Friedmann on October 22, 1913 in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. His parents, Dezso and Julia Friedmann were Jewish tailors.
  • // 1931
    In 1931, a group of socialists, artists, photographers and intellectuals inspired him to participate in the demonstration against the Miklos Horthy regime. The Hungarian secret police arrested him and released him on the condition that he would leave the country immediately.
  • // 1932
    Robert Capa wished to be a writer, but he got a photographer's job and eventually he started liking it. His first published photograph was of Leon Trotsky making the 'Meaning of the Russian Revolution' speech at Copenhagen in 1932.
  • // 1933
    In 1933 he moved to France as the Jewish journalists and photographers were being persecuted in Germany with the rise of Nazism.
  • // 1934
    In 1934, Robert Capa met and fell in love with a German Jewish refugee named Gerda Pohorylle. She later changed her name to Gerda Taro. She was killed during a battle in Madrid and this loss broke him and he never married.
  • // 1936 To 1990
    He photographed the Spanish Civil War along with Gerda Taro and David Seymour from 1936 to 1939. While fleeing Europe in 1939, Capa lost some part of this collection, which resurfaced decades later in 1990 in Mexico City.
  • // 1936
    In 1936, he became globally renowned for his 'Falling Soldier' photograph taken at the Cordoba Front, where a loyalist militiaman had been shot and was in the act of falling to his death. A photograph with such dexterity became controversial and its authenticity was doubted.
  • // 1938
    In 1938, he went to Hankow (now Wuhan) in China to document their resistance against the Japanese invasion and moved to New York City before the beginning of the World War II. During the war, he worked for ‘Collier's Weekly’ and ‘Life’ magazine.
  • // 1943 To 1945
    In 1943 he met a lady named Elaine Justin, who was already married to the actor John Justin. They became involved in a relationship but broke up in 1945.
  • // 1944
    During the Allied invasion in 1944, he was with the first wave of American troops on Omaha Beach that faced the heaviest resistance from German troops in the Atlantikwall bunkers. Capa took a total of 106 pictures but only 11 survived after a photo lab accident in London.
  • // 6th Jun 1944
    His most famous images are 'The Magnificent Eleven', a group of photographs taken on D-Day (June 6, 1944).
  • // 1946
    Later on he started dating actress Ingrid Bergman and went to Hollywood with her. There he worked for American International Pictures for some time. But they parted ways when he left for Turkey in 1946.
  • // 1947 To 1948
    Capa went to the Soviet Union in 1947 with his American-writer friend John Steinbeck, whose journal 'A Russian Journal' (1948) was illustrated with Capa's photos. The photos were taken in Moscow, Kiev, Tbilisi, Batumi and the ruins of Stalingrad.
  • // 1947 To 1952
    In 1947 he, along with Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Vandivert, David Seymour and George Rodger founded the cooperative venture, Magnum Photos in Paris. The agency managed work for, and by freelance photographers. He became its president in 1952.
  • // 25th May 1954
    On May 25, 1954, he was accompanying the French regiment through a dangerous area while covering the First Indochina War when he got off the jeep to get better photographs. In doing so, he stepped on a landmine and was grievously injured. He was declared 'dead on arrival' at the hospital.
  • // 1974
    In 1974, Robert's brother Cornell founded the International Center of Photography in New York to give his brother's photographic collections a permanent home.

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Robert Capa's FAQ

  • What is Robert Capa birthday?

    Robert Capa was born at 1913-10-22

  • When was Robert Capa died?

    Robert Capa was died at 1954-05-25

  • Where was Robert Capa died?

    Robert Capa was died in Thái Bình

  • Which age was Robert Capa died?

    Robert Capa was died at age 40

  • Where is Robert Capa's birth place?

    Robert Capa was born in Budapest

  • What is Robert Capa nationalities?

    Robert Capa's nationalities is Hungarian

  • Who is Robert Capa siblings?

    Robert Capa's siblings is Cornell Capa

  • What was Robert Capa universities?

    Robert Capa studied at Deutsche Hochschule für Politik

  • Which company or organization was founded by Robert Capa?

    Robert Capa was the founder/co-founder of International Center of Photography, Magnum Photos

  • What is Robert Capa's cause of dead?

    Robert Capa dead because of Accident

  • What is Robert Capa's religion?

    Robert Capa's religion is Judaism

  • What is Robert Capa's sun sign?

    Robert Capa is Libra

  • How famous is Robert Capa?

    Robert Capa is famouse as Photographer