Magnum Editions: Beirut, Lebanon, 1991

René Burri learned how to capture aesthetically pure, artfully composed and illuminated objects – in characteristically Swiss style – at the Zurich School of Art and Design, where he was taught by none other than Hans Fisler, the supreme master of subtle gray tones. The artistic climate of the early 1950s was conducive to this austere style that Burri would eventually come to perfect and make his own. While known primarily for these melancholic black-and-white works, Burri was equally skilled with color. In fact, his images shot on color film reveal an entirely different, more playful side to the photographer, capturing vibrant scenes that he would never have shot in black and white. Here, Burri captures the extraordinary colors of a room at an abandoned hotel in Beirut.