Martin Parr


  • Martin Parr, Honey Rose Studio, Mexico City, 2008, from the series Autoportrait © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

  • Martin Parr, New Brighton, England, from the series The Last Resort, 1983–85 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

  • Martin Parr, West Bay, England, 1996 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos

  • Martin Parr, Tynwald Cafe, St. Johns, Isle of Man, 2011 © Martin Parr / Magnum Photos


Talk + Screenings

  1. Oct 24, 2014, 7 – 9 pm
  2. Oct 25, 2014, 3 – 7 pm
Level 0, Lecture Hall

Talk, Sat, Oct 25, 2014, 3 pm
Screenings, Harvard Film Archive, Fri and Sat, Oct 24–25, 7 pm

Martin Parr joins Paul Larosa in conversation about the making of The Photobook: A History, Volume III, on Sat, Oct 25, 3 pm, followed by a book signing.

Parr's film Think of England will screen at the Harvard Film Archive on Fri, Oct 24 at 7 pm, and Turkey and Tinsel will screen on Sat, Oct 25, at 7 pm. 


Martin Parr

Famed and remarkably prolific British photographer Martin Parr (b. 1952) is celebrated as one of the great chroniclers of the contradictions and absurdities of life and leisure in the age of late capitalism. Balancing a wry anthropological detachment with a brilliant artistic spontaneity and penchant for extreme color and close-up, Parr’s imagery of the everyday life confounds the categories of art photography and journalism. While constant attention has been paid to Parr’s major photo projects, especially his studies of rural England The Last Resort (1983–85) and The Cost of Living (1987–89), scant attention has been given to Parr’s work as an occasional documentary filmmaker whose films reveal his trained eye to be equally astute and insightful with the moving image as his iconic still photography. Offering a rare chance to view Parr’s documentary work, this program brings together two of Parr’s films—Think of England (1999) his millennial made-for-BBC reflection on national identity and Britishness, and his latest work, Turkey and Tinsel (2014), a dead-pan and often hilarious observational documentary about Christmas in small town England.

The talk by Martin Parr is hosted by Phaidon Press and admission is free on a first come first served basis.

Two Films by Martin Parr at the Harvard Film Archive is a special event with a $12 admission fee.