RIP Martin Parr
image via https://martinparr.com
RIP Martin Parr (May 23, 1952 - December 6, 2025)
I've featured Martin Parr on this blog a few times, the launch of Martin Parr Foundation, photos from the exhibition Only in England: Photograph by Tony Ray-Jones and Marin Parr, a talk he moderated titled The Future of Photobooks.
There is no shortage of images and information about Martin Parr online, and his website is a good archive resource of his works (more artists should take note to maintain a record of their works).
If you are not familiar with Martin Parr, I recommend you read Magnum’s tribute which goes back to how Parr got into photography.
Imbued with playfulness and satire, Parr’s work was also a lucid, dedicated pursuit of the “yin and yang” of society as he explained, culminating in an encyclopedia of cultural symbols that mark the tides of time. “I make serious photographs disguised as entertainment,” Parr told The Guardian.
Read the rest here.
I also recommend you read the tribute on the Martin Parr Foundation website.
“Martin Parr (1952-2025) died at home in Bristol on 6 December 2025. He wanted to keep photographing until the end and that is exactly what he did. Martin was on shoot in Italy the day before he died, working to improve on a photograph he had previously made of tourists outside Duomo Cathedral in Milan; although he had been diagnosed with myeloma in 2021, he was busier than ever.
For more than 50 years, Martin’s dedication to discovering and promoting the overlooked, and his support of both photographers and photography, has contributed to the way the history of the medium is understood and defined. Martin’s foresight in planning his legacy was prescient, practical and visionary.”
Here’s my tribute, a selection of Martin Parr’s photography made in Dubai:
MARTIN PARR: AUTOPORTRAIT
Dubai, UAE, 2007. © Martin Parr from Autoportrait / Dewi Lewis Publishing
Autoportrait, 2015, published by Dewi Lewis.
Excerpt from Dewi Lewis:
“This is a fully revised and updated edition of Martin Parr’s highly successful book Autoportrait which was first published in 2000. Redesigned, it features a playable ‘labyrinth’ puzzle on the front cover and includes a large number of new images taken since its first publication. The book shows the remarkable shift from analogue to digital photography that has taken place over the period.
For the last thirty years, when Martin Parr has travelled on assignment throughout the world he has had his portrait taken – whether by a local studio photographer, a street photographer, or in a photo booth. The result is a true celebration of portrait taking – ranging from elaborate studio sets reminiscent of the heyday of the Victorian studio photographer, through to digitally manipulated images of Parr as Mr Universe, or images horrendously re-touched by a studio in their attempts to flatter him. Presented in chronological order, the photos follow Parr as he ages gently on his travels across continents. As with all Parr’s projects the book is not only hilarious but also comments on a world beyond the frame – not only in the apparent cultural differences between countries but also in its broader social and political references. It also reflects on identity and self, questioning the whole notion of the photographic portrait.”
MARTIN PARR: DUBAI
In 2008, The Third Line hosted an exhibition titled Martin Parr: Dubai and published a 30 page newspaper to accompany the it. The exhibition and the newspaper included photos from the first art fair in Dubai, DIFC Gulf Art Fair, renamed Art Dubai in 2008, plus photos from the Dubai World Cup and the Cartier Polo World Cup.
“In March (2007) Dubai hosted the first international contemporary art fair ever held in the Middle East. Although already a recognised world business hub, the advent of the Art Fair marks Dubai’s ambitious move to position itself as a major competitor in the international art market.
Better known for it’s opulent modernity, contemporary architecture and desert setting, than for its cultural scene, cynics have pondered the wisdom behind choosing Dubai as a venue for this inaugural artfair. Founders of the fair, sponsored by the Dubai International Financial Centre, have quashed these criticisms by pointing out that major auction houses such as Christies and Sotheby’s have recently set up offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Furthermore, the debut fair attracted 38 exhibiting galleries from around the world, including big name artists such as Damian Hirst and Tracey Emin. This number is expected to double in 2008 and to broaden to include more local based art galleries.
Martin Parr was on hand to capture the unique atmosphere of the DIFC Art Fair and witness the contemporary art scene’s newest playground”.
Images and above text via https://galeriebabylone.com/shop/dubai-martin-parr-book/
The exhibition isn’t archived on The Third Line’s website, but I found the exhibition invitation and text on Khatt Foundation’s website:
“On a trip to Dubai in March 2008, Martin Parr will produce a series of works that capture candid shots of the city’s crème de la crème at the most fabulous and flamboyant events – the Dubai World Cup and the Cartier Polo World Cup. These images will make up a section of his most recent documentary series called Luxury, an investigation into how people spend their money.
Magnum photographer Parr says of the Dubai World Cup, “I love the melting pot of Dubai and events held there like the Dubai World Cup. It is probably one of the most democratically attended events in the world.”
Martin Parr: Dubai will also feature photographs taken at last years DIFC Art Fair and Dubai World Cup documenting social interactions within the city.
Parr is a distinguished documentary photographer whose work focuses on people, places and the everyday. His work encompasses a banality with a certain irony, wit and critical eye for social occurrences. Parr’s photographs take a look at contemporary social transactions, within consumerism, specifically tourism, family, relationships, and food, making Dubai the perfect subject for his latest project
About his Luxury series Parr explains, “Traditionally poverty has been the front line for the concerned photographer, I am happy to reverse this, and for many years have photographed the wealth of the West.”Parr uses amateur film combined with flash photography to create his images. He believes his pictures already use "the language of advertising", making them more accessible. His work is often discerning, honest and straight forward: capturing moments which leave the viewer often unsure of weather to laugh or cry.
In recent years fashion photography has become an important context for Parr to explore, including the highly stylised advertisement for Louis Vuitton.
“Art and the appreciation of art, has never been more prevalent in the Middle East than today. And no city more so than in Dubai, where both galleries and exhibitions within them, are now firmly reinforcing their presence in the social infrastructure of this exciting and gregarious city. We are delighted to be proudly supporting the up and coming photography exhibition by celebrated Magnum photographer Martin Parr at the Third Line Gallery, with his work entitled simply 'Dubai'," says Damien Vernet, country Manager of Louis Vuitton Middle East and India.
This exhibition has been produced with the support and association of Louis Vuitton.”
I recall thinking some of the photos and description were the stereotypical depictions of the city one expected from photographers and writers who flew in for a few days to document and report on Dubai at the time.
Today, the images and some of the text don’t feel out of place with present day Dubai. As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Text by Martin Parr included in the printed newspaper:
