Martin Parr

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Martin Parr, 2014

Martin Parr (born May 23, 1952 in Epsom , Surrey ) is a British photographer .

Life

Martin Parr was born in Epsom, Surrey in 1952 and studied photography in Manchester between 1970 and 1973 .

In addition to his employment as a freelance photographer, Parr repeatedly took on teaching positions. After a long debate, he became a member of the Magnum Photos agency in 1994 . Campaigns were run within the agency to prevent his admission, but ultimately his opponents had to bow to the democratic decision. Critics saw his photographic style as too provocative and accused him of trying to make fun of others.

Martin Parr was President of Magnum Photos from 2013 to 2017.

Work and meaning

Exhibition Planète Parr , Paris, 2009

Parr provokes by photographing motifs from everyday clichés. In doing so, he captures taste derailments and shows the ugly, which is usually avoided or retouched as a picture motif . His photographs stand out from the usual art that makes up reality or alienates it stylistically. Unadorned motifs of mass tourism , the precarious and the social nobility as well as of aging people are among his main focuses. Above all, it documents everyday British culture .

Since 1990 he has also been involved in film art , primarily as a cameraman, documentary filmmaker and producer.

Parr has participated in over 80 exhibitions in the US and Europe and has published over 50 books. More than twenty books have appeared about him. Parr is thus one of the most famous British photographers and is known beyond national borders, especially in France, but also in Germany.

Parr as a collector

Parr collects everyday photos of others, postcards , knick-knacks , items with pictures and eye-catching packaging. These collections are the subject of several books and exhibitions. His collectibles also include around 13,000 photo books, memorabilia about Margaret Thatcher , collector's plates and memorabilia about Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Collecting and taking photos, writes the journalist Alex Rühle in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, are two sides of the same coin for Parr (Parr quote):

“Photography, collecting, and the curating that emerged from collecting - these are all variants of documenting. Or to put it the other way round: When I take photos, I also collect. Show what's there. Pick up what's there. "

Photo techniques

Parr used to take photos in black and white to show an "extra real polarized representation", today in color or digitally. His pictures often show a bright color with high saturation. In addition to experiments with medium format cameras , Parr mainly works with a 35mm camera . He often uses a ring flash to brighten in daylight and combines this with a macro lens.

Quotes

“If people cry and laugh at the same time while looking at my pictures, then that is exactly the reaction that the pictures evoke in me. Things are neither fundamentally good nor bad. I am always interested in depicting both extremes. "

- Martin Parr

plant

literature

Web links

Commons : Martin Parr  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Martin Parr's biography at Answers
  2. ↑ Martin Parr - Souvenir ( Memento from March 11, 2018 in the Internet Archive ). Museums in Bavaria. State office for non-state museums in Bavaria.
  3. ↑ CV | Martin Parr. Accessed March 11, 2018 (English).
  4. ↑ Alex Rühle: Hold that for us: Sure Martin Parr is a great photographer. But its importance as a collector and sponsor is at least as great. A visit to his treasury , in: Süddeutsche Zeitung 21./22. January 2012, page V2 / 3
  5. ^ ONE DAY - Kehrer Verlag. Retrieved April 5, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Parr, Martin
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British photographer
DATE OF BIRTH May 23, 1952
PLACE OF BIRTH Epsom , Surrey