Honoring the Legacy of Constantine Manos: A Journey Through His Lens (1934–2025) | Magnum Photos

Constantine “Costa” Manos embarked on his journey in photography at the tender age of 13, becoming a member of the school camera club in 1947 — coincidentally, the same year that Magnum Photos was established. Within just a few years, he transitioned into a professional photographer for his local newspaper, marking the start of his ascent to becoming one of the foremost documentary photographers of his era. 

Born in 1934 in Columbia, South Carolina, USA, to parents who emigrated from Greece, Manos cultivated his passion for photography in his adolescence, but it was not until he turned 18 that he gained a deeper understanding and admiration for the broader realm of photography. 

In 1952, he enrolled at the University of South Carolina. During his studies, he came across an article in a magazine about the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who, unbeknownst to him, would later serve as Manos’s distant mentor. The young photographer even went to the extent of acquiring identical equipment — a Leica rangefinder and Ilford film. That same year, Cartier-Bresson published Images à la Sauvette, known as The Decisive Moment. Around this period, Manos captured his first serious photographs and “embarked on a lifelong quest for beautiful and poetic imagery.” 

Driven by concern for the social conditions of individuals in the American South, Manos learned about an island located off the coast of South Carolina, nestled between Hilton Head and Savannah, Georgia, which seemed to provide the ideal subject matter for the types of photographs he wished to take. Daufuskie Island was, and remains, home to members of the Gullah Geechee, an African American community whose relative seclusion enabled them to sustain elements of the culture and language of their enslaved West African predecessors. While attending his then-segregated university, Manos authored and published anti-segregation editorials that featured several of these images.

His parents, Dimitri and Aphrodite (Vaporiotou) Manos, hailed from Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara in Turkey. Following World War I, they were compelled to move to Greece during the population exchange of 1922–23. They subsequently emigrated to Columbia, SC, where they eventually operated the Washington Street Cafe, which exclusively served a Black clientele during the era of segregation. Dimitri was affectionately known as “Big Jim” and prepared what is recognized today as “soul food.”

They collectively encouraged Manos and his siblings to explore their creative pursuits, whether it was learning musical instruments or permitting Manos to utilize the basement of their home as a darkroom. Manos played the flute while his siblings played the violin and piano. Developing a passion for classical music, he was hired as the official photographer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra at its summer festival in Tanglewood at the age of 19. His book, Portrait of a Symphony, detailing the orchestra, was published eight years later in 1961.

After earning a BA in English Literature in 1955, Manos enlisted as a Private in the U.S. Army, fulfilling his draft obligation in Germany as a staff photographer with the Stars & Stripes for a span of two years. Beyond his newspaper duties, Manos found opportunities to capture images for himself during weekend leaves and extended furloughs. Throughout the year, he photographed approximately 60 rolls of film, which were developed and archived. In 2010, he uncovered the neglected film rolls from his collection, created contact sheets, and edited the work for the first time. Following his military service, he relocated to New York, where he was employed at Esquire, Life, and Look. One of his most iconic images, featuring a mourning woman at the funeral of a Black soldier killed in Vietnam, was published in Look magazine in 1966.

Manos’s parents were Greek refugees, and after hearing tales about life in his father’s native village, he secured a grant to undertake a documentary project in his ancestral homeland. During the 1960s, he resided in Greece for three years, where he captured photographs for his book A Greek Portfolio, which drew inspiration from the individuals he met there. First published in 1972, the book garnered accolades at Arles and at the Leipzig Book Fair, with exhibitions of the work occurring at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris and the Art Institute of Chicago. 

In 1963, while in Greece, he successfully applied to join Magnum Photos. He became a full member two years later.

By composing his photographs with care and tranquility, Manos consistently aimed to encapsulate the enchantment of life as it is experienced. “I am a photographer of people and have always been captivated by them,” he stated. The Bostonians, his documentation of the variety and vibrancy of life in the city, was one such effort, fixated on individuals. “Venturing into the city with a small camera and capturing hundreds of images of people engaged in countless activities is a thrilling journey,” he remarked. “It’s akin to gathering fragments of an intimate mosaic.” In Boston, where he settled after his travels in Greece, assignments for Time-Life books and the 1974 multimedia initiative Where’s Boston? initially contributed to his broader study of Bostonian people.

Manos exhibited a keen interest in encapsulating freedom and joy during moments of celebration. His inaugural personal project after joining Magnum involved a study of color across the United States, encompassing the leisure habits of California beachgoers, beer-drinking bikers at Daytona Beach, and festivals like Mardi Gras and Gay Pride. Although he originated from South Carolina, Manos observed that his enduring fascination with “the Americans” throughout this project stemmed from an outsider’s viewpoint, having grown up in a Greek household. Photographs from this undertaking first appeared in his book American Color, published in 1995, and subsequently inAmerican Color 2, released in 2010. Lyrical expression characterizes all his creations: “I aspire to compile a volume of photographic verses, each distinct yet all intertwined,” he remarked.

The inaugural gay Magnum photographer, Manos meticulously chronicled the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation in 1993, along with the 25th Anniversary of Stonewall in 1994. On May 17, 2004, he captured the very first legal same-sex unions in the U.S. in the quaint Massachusetts town of Provincetown, a long-standing favorite gathering spot for artists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Since 2008, Manos had resided in Provincetown with his spouse and lifelong partner of 61 years, Michael Prodanou, a Greek/Canadian architect and artist. Their romance began in Rome on May 16, 1963 — the same year that Manos became part of Magnum. At that time, Prodanou was living just opposite the Pantheon on Via della Minerva, and the two connected in a seafood restaurant named “Mare Nostrum” around the corner. They united in marriage on December 11, 2011, in their Provincetown residence.

In recent years, Manos ceased creating new images and conducting workshops, but a vast collection of work continues to exist in his studio. Numerous images from the American Color series, all developed by Manos himself, remain hidden from view.

Manos is survived by his spouse, Michael Prodanou; his sister, Irene Constantinides of Atlanta, GA; his brother, Theofanis Manos of Greenville, SC; alongside three nephews and a niece.

Manos’s works are included in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Library of Congress, Washington, DC; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; George Eastman House, Rochester, NY; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Benaki Museum, Athens; and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, which showcased a retrospective of his work in 2013. In 2003, Manos received the Leica Medal of Excellence for his imagery from American Color.

In 2022, at a ceremony in Washington, DC, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic of Greece, honored Manos with the Knight of the Order of the Phoenix. This distinction is awarded to Greeks who have excelled and contributed to enhancing Greece’s international reputation. Of the 10 individuals bestowed this title, Manos was the sole representative from the arts and letters.

“It is with profound sorrow that I contemplate the demise of Costa Manos, an exceptional photographer and a valued member of Magnum Photos,” states Magnum President Cristina de Middel. “Costa was part of an earlier era of Magnum, yet his creations continue to motivate many of us who never had the opportunity to know him personally. His talent for encapsulating the poetry of daily life with unparalleled sensitivity and a sharp perception of light and color has left an enduring imprint on the narrative of photography.”

“As president of Magnum, I believe we have lost not only a remarkable artist but also a vital component that defines our collective. Costa’s steadfast commitment to photography and the mission of Magnum will remain a lasting inspiration for all of us. My deepest condolences extend to his friends and family. His legacy will endure through his images and the influence he has imparted to so many.”

Constantine Manos passed away on January 3, 2025, after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer’s. He was 90.