Two Solar Systems

When Martin Parr – renowned for his controversial colour photographs of working-class Brits on northern England’s beaches – wanted to join Magnum Photos in 1989, his application was met with indignation. Even the agency’s co-founder, Henri Cartier-Bresson, was angered by the prospect. Eventually, however, a meeting between the two artists led to a friendly resolution, and the recognition that it is possible for their very different views of photography (described by Cartier-Bresson as “two separate solar systems”) to co-exist. Parr subsequently joined Magnum Photos in 1994.

In ‘Reconciliation’, original prints by Cartier-Bresson and the photographs he took for the 1962 film ‘Stop Laughing – This is Britain’ (which will be screened at the exhibition) are juxtaposed with Martin Parr’s ‘The Last Resort’ (published in 1986) as well as his more recent commission, ‘Black Country Stories’ – which sees the artist retrace his steps in Northern England to photograph his fellow Brits at work and at play.

The exhibition – which is on show at the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation from November 8, 2022, to February 12, 2023 – presents two perspectives on a society and its transformation across three different eras (1962, 1986, 2010). In the words of Cartier-Bresson: “England is the most exotic place in the world.”

For further information visit Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson