The British photographer died this Saturday in Bristol at the age of 73 Martin Parrreported the Martin Parr Foundation and Magnum photos Who will work together to “preserve and share Parr’s legacy.” His family (wife, daughter, sister and grandson) demanded privacy. “We will miss Martin very much,” the short statement concludes. In 2021, he was diagnosed with cancer. In the same year, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
In his work knew how to combine the documentary character with humor, satire and burlesque denunciation of the lifestyles of various social groups (from counterculturals to conservatives and from workers to punks); He observed the everyday lives of his compatriots as if they were aliens. parr He worked in major graphic media, published dozens of photo books, took part in group and solo exhibitions and received numerous awards.; The most recent award was the Lifetime Achievement Award at the La Gacilly-Baden Photography Festival in France in 2024.
The use of bright colors, atypical framing and closeness to the subjectsin addition to the “conceptual” criteria with which he worked in his photo series (about tourism, travel, “boring couples”, the English, consumerism and addiction to luxury, Japan, Atlanta and the beaches) made him one Master of the “Art of Light”. His works inspired (and irritated) professionals of the new generations. He donated his photography book collection to the Tate Archive and Library.
He was born on May 23, 1952 in Epsom, Surrey. “The only good thing about growing up in Surrey was that.” made every other place seem interesting” he ironized. His interest in photography was encouraged by his grandfather George Parr, an amateur photographer. From 1970 to 1973 he studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic.
Despite initial rejection from photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson (who later praised Parr’s perspective) and Philip Jones Griffiths (who called him “Margaret Thatcher’s favorite photographer”) He became a full member of the Magnum agency, which he led between 2013 and 2017. “All photojournalists are left-wing,” he said The Observer-. You won’t do this job if you don’t care about people and show interest in their well-being. Although my only intention is to create entertainment.”
At the same time, Parr developed an interest in cinema and began using his photography in various genres such as: fashion and the Advertising. He documentary I’m Martin parrby Lee Shulman, portrays the provocative artist on a tour through his country. “My relationship with the United Kingdom is full of contradictions -explained-. I don’t like intolerance, elitism, Brexit… But I love Radio 4 more than anything, cups of tea. Half of my archives are dedicated to the UK.”
With the simultaneous photo exhibition Common sense (Common Sense), which was on view in 44 galleries around the world from March to May 1999, won the prize Guinness World Record. In 2002 the Barbican Art Gallery and the National Media Museum organized a major retrospective of his work; The exhibition toured Europe for the next five years.
From 2004 to 2012 he was Professor of Photography at the Newport Campus of the University of Wales Guest artistic director of Arles Meetings (an important photography festival) in 2004. In 2006 he received the Erich Salomon Prize and in 2008 the PHotoEspaña Baume & Mercier Prize; In 2023 he won the Alcobendas International Photography Prize in Madrid
In 2013, Parr took photos during the Polo Open and photographed groups of vacationers on the beaches of Mar del Plata; Some of these final images are part of his photo book Life is a beach (The pronunciation of the last word is similar to “bitch“). The Martin Parr Foundation was founded in 2015.
“We became friends since he first came to Argentina,” the photographer tells LA NACION. Ataúlfo Perez Aznar-. When he saw my photos of Mar del Plata, he wanted to get to know this city; On another trip I took him to Punta Lara. But what connected us was our love of photography and our interest in photo books. He did a lot of photography and photo books, always with his sensitivity British humor“.
A major Parr retrospective is scheduled to open at the Jeu de Paume in Paris at the end of January 2026.
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