Obituary: Martin Parr
Obituary: Martin Parr
December 8, 2025
© Martin Parr/MAGNUM PHOTOS
Martin Parr Collection. HOLLAND. Amsterdam. Autoportrait. To Sang Fotostudio. 2000
Parr’s early pictures were taken in black and white with a Leica M3 and 35mm lens, but he quickly switched to other camera systems and used medium format and colour for his first photo book, The Last Resort. The publication has long been considered a classic, having set new standards for documentary photography. Critics, however, saw it as a bitter and angry statement; cruel and voyeuristic. For Parr, his view of the run-down, seaside resort of New Brighton, with its peeling façades, visitors and people mercilessly sunburning themselves on dirty beaches, was an inventory of mundane British life.
Ironic or cynical, his reputation as a precise observer with an unsparing eye remained a constant, and would quickly take him to international renown. With his colour images, he documented public places, family festivities, landscapes and often trashy still lifes. Generally direct and using bright colours, his motifs managed, time and again, to not only expose the quirks of British society, but to also address consumerism and the phenomenon that has long become known as “over-tourism”. His style quickly attracted supporters and imitators, but criticism of his bold, provocative visual aesthetic challenged his efforts to become a member of the renowned Magnum Photo: he was only accepted into the agency in 1994 by a narrow margin, much to the displeasure of many – not least Henri Cartier-Bresson. “Henri said I was from another planet!” he liked to remember. “I always cherish this remark, and wrote back: I know what you mean, but why shoot the messenger?” Times changed and the classic Magnum aesthetic had to evolve. Parr even became president of the agency from 2013 to 2017.
Martin Parr was born on May 23, 1952, in Surrey, south-west of London, and grew up in Epsom. Inspired by his grandfather, a passionate amateur photographer, he found his way to photography at a young age and in the seventies went to study at Manchester Polytechnic. By the eighties, Parr was already among the most influential and successful photographers on the international scene. Furthermore, Parr also sets standards as a passionate collector and promoter of numerous photo initiatives. His particular attention, however, always focussed on photo books. He published over one hundred of his own, and edited countless catalogues and photo books. This diversity further increased his popularity, and he became a star of the photography scene. Together with Gerry Badger, Parr published the three-volume compendium The Photobook: A History (2004, 2006 and 2014). He also worked as a curator, and in 2017 founded the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, where he had been living since 1987. In 2021 Queen Elizabeth II honoured Parr for his services to photography. While still alive, he donated his complete book collection with around 12,000 volumes to the Tate Gallery. He was diagnosed with cancer four and a half years ago, yet he remained active: for example, as recently as October he opened the Grand Hotel Parr photo exhibition at the Neues Museum Nuremberg (on display up until February 22, 2026).
The incomparable photographer succumbed to cancer on December 6.
Ulrich RüterIronic or cynical, his reputation as a precise observer with an unsparing eye remained a constant, and would quickly take him to international renown. With his colour images, he documented public places, family festivities, landscapes and often trashy still lifes. Generally direct and using bright colours, his motifs managed, time and again, to not only expose the quirks of British society, but to also address consumerism and the phenomenon that has long become known as “over-tourism”. His style quickly attracted supporters and imitators, but criticism of his bold, provocative visual aesthetic challenged his efforts to become a member of the renowned Magnum Photo: he was only accepted into the agency in 1994 by a narrow margin, much to the displeasure of many – not least Henri Cartier-Bresson. “Henri said I was from another planet!” he liked to remember. “I always cherish this remark, and wrote back: I know what you mean, but why shoot the messenger?” Times changed and the classic Magnum aesthetic had to evolve. Parr even became president of the agency from 2013 to 2017.
Martin Parr was born on May 23, 1952, in Surrey, south-west of London, and grew up in Epsom. Inspired by his grandfather, a passionate amateur photographer, he found his way to photography at a young age and in the seventies went to study at Manchester Polytechnic. By the eighties, Parr was already among the most influential and successful photographers on the international scene. Furthermore, Parr also sets standards as a passionate collector and promoter of numerous photo initiatives. His particular attention, however, always focussed on photo books. He published over one hundred of his own, and edited countless catalogues and photo books. This diversity further increased his popularity, and he became a star of the photography scene. Together with Gerry Badger, Parr published the three-volume compendium The Photobook: A History (2004, 2006 and 2014). He also worked as a curator, and in 2017 founded the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, where he had been living since 1987. In 2021 Queen Elizabeth II honoured Parr for his services to photography. While still alive, he donated his complete book collection with around 12,000 volumes to the Tate Gallery. He was diagnosed with cancer four and a half years ago, yet he remained active: for example, as recently as October he opened the Grand Hotel Parr photo exhibition at the Neues Museum Nuremberg (on display up until February 22, 2026).
The incomparable photographer succumbed to cancer on December 6.
© Martin Parr/MAGNUM PHOTOS
Martin Parr Collection. HOLLAND. Amsterdam. Autoportrait. To Sang Fotostudio. 2000