Archive of Modern Conflict

What Archive of Modern Conflict does

Archive of Modern Conflict (AMC) is a privately held London-based archive and independent photobook publisher founded in 1991 by Canadian businessman David Thomson, owner of Thomson Reuters. The company preserves and curates over 4 million vernacular and amateur photographs spanning from the 1850s to the present day, stored across international facilities in London, Beijing, and Toronto. Curator and editor Timothy Prus has led the collection for 22+ years using an intuitive, curiosity-driven acquisition model, building a thematically broad archive that ranges from WWI/WWII imagery to contemporary vernacular snapshots.

AMC monetizes its holdings primarily through a publishing program that produces photobooks, artist monographs, exhibition catalogs, and the recurring AMC2 journal series, alongside limited edition photographic prints. Titles are sold direct-to-consumer through archiveofmodernconflict.com and distributed globally through D.A.P., Bone Idle Books, and specialty retailers, with pricing ranging from approximately $17 for accessible titles to $874 for premium limited editions. The company generates additional value through exhibition partnerships with major institutions including Tate Modern, Paris Photo, Les Rencontres d'Arles, PhotoEspaña, and the Wende Museum, where archive materials are lent or co-curated.

The business serves three primary customer segments: photography collectors and enthusiasts who purchase publications; museums, galleries, and photography festivals that license materials and co-curate exhibitions; and contemporary artists and scholars who collaborate on publications and research access. Operations are lean at approximately 8 employees, and ongoing operations are sustained by publication revenues supplemented by the founder's continuous personal funding.

Name

Archive of Modern Conflict

Website

https://archiveofmodernconflict.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Archive of Modern Conflict is a London-based private archive and photobook publisher holding over 4 million vernacular photographs, producing limited edition publications and exhibitions for collectors, museums, and contemporary artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Literary & Classics Publishing (MPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Vernacular photography archive
• Photobook publishing
• Artist book publishing
• Exhibition curation services
• Limited edition prints

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Photobook and Artist Book Sales: Direct retail sales of published books through the company's e-commerce platform. Revenue generated from sale of photobooks, artist monographs, exhibition catalogs, and limited edition publications. Prices range from approximately $17 to over $870 for special editions.
2. Limited Edition Print Sales: Sale of limited edition photographic prints from the archive's holdings, including special edition publications with unique artifacts such as hand-tinted prints and original photographs.
3. Exhibition and Licensing: Revenue generated through exhibition partnerships, lending archive materials to museums and galleries, and potential licensing of images for publication and display.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Archive of Modern Conflict is a publisher of photobooks and artist's books, operating as a curated archive of vernacular and amateur photography. The company publishes limited edition and trade photobooks drawn from its holdings of over four million photographs stored across London, Beijing, and Toronto, and curates international exhibitions at major venues including Tate Modern, Les Rencontres d'Arles, and Paris Photo.

Product overview

Archive of Modern Conflict is a publisher of photobooks and artist's books, operating as a curated archive and publishing house. The company offers a diverse portfolio of photobooks across multiple series including AMC2 Journal issues, exhibition catalogues, and general photobook publications. Key products include works by photographers such as Stephen Gill, Timothy Prus, Cristina de Middel, Don McCullin, Antony Cairns, and Thomas Sauvin, covering themes ranging from conflict photography to urban landscapes, portraiture, and documentary work. The company also maintains a physical archive of over four million photographs stored in London, Beijing, and Toronto, and publishes exhibition catalogues for shows at venues like Les Rencontres d'Arles and Tate Modern.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AMC2: Journal publication by Archive of Modern Conflict, featuring photographs from the collection spanning periods from early 1850s to present.

Products and services

• OODA loops – Kalev Erickson
• Wildman Fever! – Ruben Lundgren
• Will Write Soon – David Thomson
• Dry Hole – David Thomson
• Unwanted Butterfly – Tamás Urbán
• All at War: Photography by German soldiers 1939-45 – Ian Jeffrey
• AMC2 Issue 14: Me Nu – Ruben Lundgren and Timothy Prus
• Party! Party!! Party!!! Photographs from Weimar Germany
• The Cow and the Orchid – Timothy Prus
• 82 – David Thomson
• Pictures of You – Rory MacLean
• AMC2 Issue 4: Collected Shadows
• Silvermine – Thomas Sauvin
• The British Landscape – John Davies
• Jan Mayen – Cristina de Middel
• Holy Bible (1st Edition) – Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin
• Don McCullin
• Hackney Flowers – Stephen Gill
• The Canadians
• The Afronauts (2nd Edition) – Cristina de Middel
• This Is What Hatred Did – Cristina de Middel
• Tokyo Tokyo – Wassink Lundgren
• The Corinthians – Ed Jones and Timothy Prus
• Nein, Onkel – Ed Jones and Timothy Prus

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4 million photographs in collection
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Wende MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2018Collaboration on 'Socialist Flower Power: Soviet Hippie Culture' exhibition at the Wende Museum in Culver City, California (May 20–August 26, 2018). The exhibition featured personal archives of Soviet hippies including photos, clothing, and memorabilia from the Archive of Modern Conflict collection, curated in collaboration with Dr. Juliane Fürst of the University of Bristol.
• University of Bristol (Dr. Juliane Fürst)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Dr. Juliane Fürst for the Socialist Flower Power exhibition, providing scholarly curation and historical context for the Soviet hippie archive materials.
• Les Rencontres d'ArlescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual exhibition partner hosting The Cow and the Orchid exhibition curated by Timothy Prus (2017). Archive staff oversee preparation and shipping of materials to the festival.
• Tate ModernflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusion in the 'Conflict, Time, Photography' exhibition at Tate Modern, featuring materials from the archive including 'A Guide for the Protection of Public in Peacetime.'
• Paris PhotocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibition venue for the 'Collected Shadows' touring exhibition in 2012, the first major presentation of archive materials at the premier photography fair.
• National Gallery of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished Don McCullin monograph accompanying an exhibition of his work. The Canadians publication relates to materials donated to the Canadian Institute of Photography housed within the gallery.
• La Silueta EdicionescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher of The Cow and the Orchid exhibition catalog, handling international distribution of the limited edition publication.
• FORMAT International Photography FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented 'Notes Home' exhibition of postcards from the east coast of England, curated by Timothy Prus and Ed Jones for the festival in Derby.
• Photo EspañacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured 'The Greatest Show on Earth' exhibition curated by Kalev Erickson at PhotoEspaña 2018, presenting photographs from the AMC collection.
• KodojiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher partnership for Tokyo Tokyo by Wassink Lundgren.
• Editorial RMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher partnership for This Is What Hatred Did by Cristina de Middel.
• Photoworks / Brighton Photo BiennialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished Outside In as part of Stephen Gill's commission for the 2010 Brighton Photo Biennial, curated by Martin Parr.
• D.A.P. (Distributed Art Publishers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution partner for broader retail availability of AMC publications through art bookshops and museum stores worldwide.
• Bone Idle BookscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialized distribution partner for the Americas region, handling titles including Pictures of You and The Canadians.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MACK Books: Independent art and photography book publisher releasing high-quality photobooks, artist monographs, and limited editions. Most direct competitor to AMC in the contemporary photobook publishing space, with overlapping artist rosters and distribution channels via D.A.P.
• Steidl: German publisher of high-end photography and art books, often working directly with major contemporary photographers. Comparable to AMC in production quality, premium pricing, and photographer-led limited editions.
• Errata Editions: Publisher of reprints of rare and out-of-print photography books. Highly comparable to AMC's interest in vernacular and historical photography, though operating through reprint rather than original publishing.
• Dewi Lewis Publishing: UK-based independent photobook publisher focused on documentary and fine-art photography. Similar to AMC in editorial direction, collector audience, and reliance on premium-priced co-editions with photographers.
• TBW Books: Independent photobook publisher producing limited-edition artist books, many co-edited with contemporary photographers. Closely comparable to AMC's publishing model and limited-edition economics.
• Aperture Foundation: Nonprofit photography publisher of monographs, anthologies, and Aperture magazine. Comparable to AMC as a mission-driven photography publishing house with a curated catalog and strong museum/institutional positioning.
• Editorial RM: Mexican publisher of photography and visual culture books. Comparable to AMC's international, vernacular-focused publishing; an existing AMC partner (co-published This Is What Hatred Did).
• Kodoji Press: Independent Swiss photobook publisher producing limited-edition artist books with a curatorial sensibility. Direct comparable as an existing AMC distribution/publishing partner (co-published Tokyo Tokyo).

Broad incumbents

• La Fábrica: Spanish cultural institution and publisher producing photography monographs, exhibition catalogs, and PhotoEspaña-related publications. Comparable as a broader publishing platform with institutional photography focus overlapping AMC's exhibition work.
• Tate Publishing: Major museum publisher producing exhibition catalogs and photography monographs. Comparable as a broader incumbent in art/photography publishing and an existing AMC exhibition partner (Conflict, Time, Photography at Tate Modern).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archive-of-modern-conflict

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Archive of Modern Conflict