The world of photography bids farewell to Constantine “Costa” Manos, a visionary Greek-American photographer whose work shaped documentary photography and captured the essence of human life with poetic depth.
Manos, a Magnum Photos member since 1963, passed away on January 2, 2025, at the age of 90, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Early Life Rooted in Greek Heritage
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1934 to Greek immigrant parents from Avşa Island, Manos grew up with a deep connection to his Hellenic roots. His parents, Dimitri and Aphrodite Manos, were refugees of the 1922–23 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. They eventually ran a café serving soul food to Columbia’s Black community during the segregation era. Encouraged by their creative household, Manos found his passion for photography at 13 when he joined his school’s camera club.
@Constantinos Manos, Magnum Photos
Manos credited his heritage for shaping his unique perspective. As a young man, he was inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose approach to photography profoundly influenced him. Equipped with a Leica camera and fueled by a desire to tell human stories, he embarked on a lifelong journey to document life’s beauty and struggles.
A Career of Poetic Images
Manos’s career spanned over seven decades and took him around the globe. His early work in the American South captured the lives of the Gullah Geechee community on Daufuskie Island, an African-American group preserving cultural ties to their West African ancestors. His poignant images often addressed social issues, including anti-segregation editorials he wrote as a student at the segregated University of South Carolina.
After serving in the U.S. Army as a photographer, Manos’s career flourished. His time in Greece in the 1960s, supported by a documentary grant, resulted in A Greek Portfolio, a seminal work celebrating Greek rural life and traditions. The book received international acclaim and established Manos as a master of storytelling through images.
“A Greek Portfolio” p.5
© Costa Manos/Magnum Photos
He continued to explore human connection in later projects, including The Bostonians and American Color, which captured the diversity and vibrancy of urban life and celebrations across the United States. His images reflect a lyrical quality, blending light, colour, and emotion.
A Legacy of Advocacy and Representation
Manos was also a trailblazer in documenting LGBTQ+ history. As the first openly gay photographer at Magnum Photos, he chronicled pivotal moments like the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and the first legal same-sex marriages in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he lived with his husband of 61 years, Michael Prodanou.
His body of work resides in prestigious collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Benaki Museum in Athens, and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. In 2022, Greece honored him with the Knight of the Order of the Phoenix, recognizing his contributions to elevating Greece’s international cultural presence.
Remembering a Visionary
Magnum Photos President Cristina de Middel expressed deep admiration for Manos, saying, “Costa’s ability to capture the poetry of everyday life with unmatched sensitivity and a keen eye for light and colour has left an indelible mark on the history of photography.”
Constantine Manos’s life was dedicated to preserving the beauty of human existence, from his ancestral homeland of Greece to the streets of America. His images, steeped in lyricism and humanity, will continue to inspire future generations.
Manos is survived by his husband, Michael Prodanou; his siblings, Irene Constantinides and Theofanis Manos; and their families.
- All Images courtesy of Contantine Manos/Magnum Photos
- Public domain Magnum Photos
(Source: Magnum Photos)