New Brighton, England. From ‘The Last Resort’ 1983-85 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
A giant of photography, Martin Parr helped foster a seachange in documentary at Magnum Photos and went on to publish scores of photobooks and win retrospectives at Barbican Art Gallery and Jeu de Paume, Paris. He also championed other image-makers, supporting them through his collection and through his publishing activities and gallery space
Team BJP is saddened to hear of the passing of Martin Parr, an international legend in photography. One of the first documentary photographers to adopt colour photography, Parr was controversially accepted into Magnum Photos in 1988; Henri Cartier-Bresson described him as “an alien from another solar-system”, to which Parr replied, “I know what you mean, but why shoot the messenger?”. Adopting a humorous, at times satirical viewpoint, Parr attracted criticism with his series The Last Resort, 1982–1985, which depicted working-class holiday makers at New Brighton beach. He went on to make series such as The Cost of Living (1987–1989), a mordant look at middle-class life, and series such as Small World (1987–1994), and Common Sense (1995–1999), which looked at global tourism and consumerism.
An avid collector, especially of photobooks and photo-ephemera, Parr teamed up with Gerry Badger to create an influential ‘book of books’, publishing The Photobook: A History Volume 1 in 2004. They went on to publish Volume 2 in 2009, and Volume 3 in 2014, and in 2017, Parr sold his 12,000-strong book collection to Tate. In 2017 Parr also opened the Martin Parr Foundation, an institution for photography in Bristol which features regular exhibitions by image-makers, and his considerable archive.
Parr died at home in Bristol on 06 December, and is survived by his wife Susie, his daughter Ellen, his sister Vivien and his grandson George. The family asks for privacy at this time. BJP will publish a longer tribute to Martin Parr in the coming days.
