Born in 1952 in Epsom, Surrey (England), Martin Parr was graduated from photography at Manchester Polytechnic in 1973. In 1994, he became a full member of Magnum Photographic Corporation and was guest artistic director for Rencontres d’Arles in 2004 and for New York Photo Festival in 2008.
A photographer, a filmmaker and a collector of miscellaneous objects, Martin Parr has developed an international reputation for his innovative imagery, his oblique approach to social documentary, and his input to photographic culture within the UK and abroad.
He was awarded the Erich Salomon Prize for photojournalism in 2006 and wins the Baumier Mercier award at PhotoEspana in 2008 in recognition of his professional career and contributions to contemporary photography.

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Arts Council of Great Britain
Union Bank of Finland, Helsinki
Museum for Fotokunst, Odense, Denmark
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
George Eastman House, Rochester
Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Paris
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Calderdale Council, Halifax
Getty Museum, Malibu
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Kodak, France
Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
Seagrams Collection, New York
Museum of Modern Art, Tempere, Finland
British Council, London
Irish Arts Council
Australian National Gallery
Paris Audiovisual
Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany
Yokohama Museum of Art, Japan
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Tate Modern, London

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2016
A photographic journey, Kunst Haus Wien, Vienna, Austria
Unseen City: Photos by Martin Parr, The Guildhall, London, United Kingdom
The Rhubarb Triangle and Other Stories, The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, United Kingdom
Early Black and White, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Work and Leisure, Firstsite, Colchester, United Kingdom
Martin Parr’s Strange Paradise, The Harts Gallery, New Milford, Connecticut, USA
Parrtificial, MIS, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Unseen City, Thames Pathway (north side) near Blackfriars, London, United Kingdom
Only in England, The Beaney, Canterbury, United Kingdom
So Near and So Far : Roscommon in the 1980s, Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon, Ireland

2015
Life’s a Beach / Evian Under the Eye of Martin Parr, Palais Lumiere, Évian, France
Rocket Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Life’s a Beach, le Théâtre de la Photographie, Nice, France
Black Country Stories, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, United Kingdom
Martin Parr at the Beach, Le Bon Marché, Paris, France
Martin Parr, Galeria Lume, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Bad Weather, JB Space, Geneva, Switzerland
The Non Conformists, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, UK
A Taste for Mulhouse + The last Resort + Signs of the times, La filiature, Mulhouse, France

2014
Martin Parr’s Paris, MEP, Paris, France
Only in England (The Non-Conformists) with Tony Ray-Jones, National Media Museum, Bradford, United Kingdom
Say Cheese, Art of Dining, London, United Kingdom
Signs of the Times, Beetles Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Kamel Mennour, Paris, France

2013
Martin Parr, Galerie PARIS-B, Brussels, Belgium
Life’s a Beach, Aperture, New York, USA

2011
The Real World, Anzenberger Gallery, Vienna, Austria
The Goutte d’Or, Institut des Cultures d’Islam, Paris, France
What Would You Save in a Flood? In association with Oxfam, Proud Gallery, London
The Truth is Not in the Mirror, collective exhibition, Haggerty Museum of Art, USA
Photography Calling!, collective exhibition, Sprengal Museum, Hannover, Germany

2010
Dreamlands, collective exhibition, The Pompidou Centre, Paris
Playas, Centro de la Imagen, Mexico City
Martin Parr at PHOTOINK, New Delhi
Luxury, Janet Borden, New York
Luxury, Galeria Espacio Minimo, Madrid

2009
Martin Parr in Beijing, Galerie PARIS-B, Beijing, China
Planète Parr, le Jeu de Paume, Paris, France
Martin Parr ‘Sei Fotografie’, Macro, Rome

2008
ParrWorld, Haus der Kunst, Munchen, Germany
Dubai, The Third Line, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Assorted Cocktail, Santralistanbul, Turkey
ParrWorld, Breda Photo, the Netherlands
Melbourne Cup, Niagara Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Street & Studio, collective exhibition, Tate Modern, London, UK
Between Memory and History, Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada

2007
Retrospective, Seoul Arts Centre, Korea
Autoportrait, ZPAFiS-KA Gallery, Krakow, Poland
Fashion Magazine, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, Japan
Fashion Newspaper, Paul Smith Space, Tokyo
Retrospective, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Assorted Cocktail, C/O Berlin, Germany
Turkey by Magnum, collective exhibition, Istanbul Modern Art Museum, Turkey
How We Are, collective exhibition, Tate Britain, London, UK

2006
Food, Nordic Festival of Light, Norway
Retrospective, Forma Gallery, Milan, Italy
Assorted Cocktail, Photokina, Cologne, Germany
Mexico, Janet Borden Gallery, New York, USA
Making History, collective exhibition, Tate Gallery, Liverpool, UK
Click Double Click, collective exhibition, Haust der Kunst, Munchen, Germany
Happily Ever After, Hardcore Contemporary Art Space, Miami, USA
Diaporama Festival, Nantes, France
IDAA (International Digital Art Awards), Queensland, Australia
The Virtual Salon, MOCA, New York, US

2005
Presentation House Gallery, Vancouver, Canada
PhotoEspana, Madrid, Spain
Die Kunsthalle, Mannheim, Germany
Montreal Festival of Photography, Canada
Nicola von Senger Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
Kamel Mennour Gallery, Paris, France
Fashion Show, Rocket Gallery London, UK
Fashion Show, Bon Marche, Paris
Stephen Daiter Gallery, Chicago, USA
Retrospective, MEP, Paris, France
Common Sense, Niagra Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
Exposures, collective exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
Eurovisions, collective exhibition, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

2004
Pingyao Photography Festival, China

2003
Studio Trisorio, Naples, Italy
National Museum of Photography, Copenhagen, Denmark
Kunsthalle Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Renia Sofia, Madrid, Spain
20/21 Essen, Germany
Cruel and Tender, collective exhibition, Tate Modern, London, UK

2002
Martin Parr: Photographic Works 1971-2000, Barbican Art Gallery, London, UK
The Phone Show, Rocket Gallery, London
Sirieuze Zaken, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Martin Parr Photoworks 1971 – 2000, Barbican Art Gallery and major European tour
Rocket Gallery London
Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Sand in der Vaseline, Kerfelder Kunstmuseem, Germany

2001
Home and Abroad, Sarajevo Foto Gallery, Sarajevo, Bosnia

2000
20/21 Gallery, Essen, Germany
Autoportrait, Tom Blau Gallery, London, UK
Think of England, Rocket Gallery, London, UK
Autoportrait and flowers, Galerie du Jour, Paris, France

1999
Common Sense, 43 locations worldwide
Benidorm, Sprengel Museum, Hanover, Germany
Our Turning World: Magnum Photographers

1998
Ooh La La, National Museum of Photography, Bradford, UK
Japonais Endormis, Galerie du Jour, Paris, France
Gallery Riis, Oslo, Norway
No Sex Please, We’re British, collective exhibition, Shisheido Department Store, Tokyo, Japan

1997
Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland
Trois Grandes Egyptiennes, collective exhibition, Musee de la Photographie, Charlleroi, Belgium

1996
Janet Borden, New York, USA

1995
Small World, Photographer’s Gallery, London, UK
Small World and From A to B, National Centre of Photography, Paris, France
Galerie du Jour, Paris, France
Internationale Foto-Triennale, collective exhibition, Esslingen,Germany
European Photography Award
1985-1994, collective exhibition, Kultur Zentrum, BadHamburg, Germany

1994
From A to B, 27 Welcome Break service stations, UK
Curitiba Photo Festival, Brazil

1993
A Year in the Life of Chew Stoke, Chew Stoke Village Hall, Bristol, UK
Bored Couples, Galerie du Jour, Paris and subsequent tour
Home and Abroad, Watershed Gallery, Bristol and international tour
Photographs from the Real World, collective exhibition, Lilliehammer Art Museum, Norway
Sobre Santiago, Tres de Magnum, collective exhibition, Santiago, Spain

1992
iSigns of the Times, Janet Borden, New York, USA
Kiek in de Kok Gallery, Tallinn, Estonia

1991
Janet Borden, New York, USA
Gaerie Jacques Gordat, Paris, France
British Photography from the Thatcher Years, collective exhibition, MOMA, New York, USA
Voir la Suisse Autrement, collective exhibition, Fribourg, Switzerland

1990
The Past and Present of Photography, collective exhibition, MOMA, Tokyo, Japan

1989
The Cost of Living, Royal Photographic Society, Bath (UK) and tour
Through the Looking Glass, British photography 1945-1989, collective exhibition, Barbican Centre, London
The Art of Photography, collective exhibition, Royal Academy, London

1988
Kodak Gallery, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
A British View, collective exhibition, Museum fur Gestalturg, Zurich, Switzerland

1987
ICP Midtown, New York, USA
Spending Time, National Centre of Photography, Paris, France
Attitudes to Ireland, collective exhibition, Orchard Gallery, Derry, N.Ireland
Mysterious Coincidences, collective exhibition, Photographer’s Gallery, London, UK
Inscriptions and Inventions, collective exhibition, British Council touring exhibition

1986
The Last Resort, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, France
Fotograficentrum, Stockholm, Sweden
British Contemporary Photography, collective exhibition, Houston Foto Festival, USA
New Documents, collective exhibition, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, USA

1985
Quelques Anglais, exposition collective, Centre National de la Photographie, Paris, France

1983
International Photography Festival, Malmo, Sweden

1982
Rural Irish Photographers, Neikrug Gallery, New York, USA
Bad Weather, Photgrapher’s Gallery, London and subsequent tour
Strategies-recent developments in British photography, collective exhibition, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UK

1981
The Non-Conformists, Camerawork, London, UK

1979
Three Perspectives on Photography, collective exhibition, Hayward Gallery, London

1978
Fotomania Gallery, Barcelona, Spain Personal Views 1860-1977, collective show, British Council touring show
Art for Society, collective exhibition, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, UK

1976
Beauty Spots, Impressions Gallery, York and subsequent tour

1972
Home Sweet Home, Impressions Gallery, York, and Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol