Obituaries - July 26, 1995

* George Rodger; Life Magazine Photographer During World War II

George Rodger, 87, who photographed World War II for Life magazine and co-founded Magnum Photos Ltd. Rodger was one of the first photographers to enter the Nazi concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen when it was liberated in April, 1945, and was so revolted by what he found himself photographing that he vowed never to cover another war. His memorable images from the war and camp were included in his 1994 book, “Humanity and Inhumanity: The Photographic Journey of George Rodger.” In 1947, Rodger joined photographers Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Vandivert and David Szymin (professionally known as Chim) to establish Magnum, the worldwide photo agency, with Rodger taking responsibility for the Middle East and Africa. Rodger roamed the world photographing different cultures, including the Nuba people in Sudan in 1949. Those photos, which were published in National Geographic in 1952, inspired the German photographer Leni Riefenstahl to do her own book, “The Last of the Nubas,” in 1973. Rodger’s work is currently on exhibit in “George Rodger: A Photographic Journey” at the Barbican Art Gallery in London. On Monday in Smarden, England.