Utterly Lazy and Inattentive

One of the most popular photographers on the planet recounts his life and art When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was ‘utterly lazy and inattentive’ in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the world. Martin has published over one hundred photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking, over his career. Now, for the first and only time, Martin has produced a book about himself, telling his own story, in his own words. This autobiography combines over 150 of Martin’s photographs – from his earliest snapshots to the work he is doing today – with his recollections and reflections on each image. We meet a boy growing up in suburbia, who collects obsessively and notices everything. We see him exploding into the public consciousness in the late eighties with a series of startling, ultra-saturated colour images of the British seaside – and scandalising the photography establishment in the process. We see society changing over the decades, from the demise of steam trains, through the opening of the first McDonald’s in Moscow, to the transformations of the post-pandemic world. As Martin shares his story, his distinctive voice delicately captured by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones, he also reveals his approach to work and commissions; his tricks for gaining access and getting the shot; and he divulges his particular passions: for crowds and queues, fetes and placards, bad weather on beaches, and more. This is the definitive account of a great photographer’s career, curating the work that has defined his life. By looking at the world through his eyes and his lens, we come away seeing Martin Parr – and ourselves – a little differently.

One of the most popular photographers on the planet recounts his life and art When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was ‘utterly lazy and inattentive’ in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the world. Martin has published over one hundred photobooks on many different subjects, from seaside resorts to smoking, over his career. Now, for the first and only time, Martin has produced a book about himself, telling his own story, in his own words. This autobiography combines over 150 of Martin’s photographs – from his earliest snapshots to the work he is doing today – with his recollections and reflections on each image. We meet a boy growing up in suburbia, who collects obsessively and notices everything. We see him exploding into the public consciousness in the late eighties with a series of startling, ultra-saturated colour images of the British seaside – and scandalising the photography establishment in the process. We see society changing over the decades, from the demise of steam trains, through the opening of the first McDonald’s in Moscow, to the transformations of the post-pandemic world. As Martin shares his story, his distinctive voice delicately captured by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones, he also reveals his approach to work and commissions; his tricks for gaining access and getting the shot; and he divulges his particular passions: for crowds and queues, fetes and placards, bad weather on beaches, and more. This is the definitive account of a great photographer’s career, curating the work that has defined his life. By looking at the world through his eyes and his lens, we come away seeing Martin Parr – and ourselves – a little differently.

A landmark visual memoir by of one of the world's most important photographers who straddles the worlds of fine art and popular culture. Brilliant, understated, enigmatic, transformative . . . as one of the world's leading documentary photographers, Parr is celebrated for observing, ironizing, questioning, and celebrating modern life and contemporary society, holding a mirror to the public. With a massive following on social media, Parr has legions of celebrity fans ranging from Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to Elton John, who is such an enthusiast that Parr's photos were the backdrop for his recent tour. Unlike previous Parr books that focused on broad sociocultural themes, this volume is a carefully curated selection of Parr's images designed as a visual memoir. It showcases the depth and range of his work while exploring his life story, practice, and philosophy. Parr is unique: taken seriously by the art world yet enjoying mass popularity. In his bid to capture the brilliant, bittersweet absurdity of modern life, he has made art photography accessible with compositions of deadpan, mundane images rich in humor and irony.

A landmark visual memoir by of one of the world's most important photographers who straddles the worlds of fine art and popular culture. Brilliant, understated, enigmatic, transformative . . . as one of the world's leading documentary photographers, Parr is celebrated for observing, ironizing, questioning, and celebrating modern life and contemporary society, holding a mirror to the public. With a massive following on social media, Parr has legions of celebrity fans ranging from Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele to Elton John, who is such an enthusiast that Parr's photos were the backdrop for his recent tour. Unlike previous Parr books that focused on broad sociocultural themes, this volume is a carefully curated selection of Parr's images designed as a visual memoir. It showcases the depth and range of his work while exploring his life story, practice, and philosophy. Parr is unique: taken seriously by the art world yet enjoying mass popularity. In his bid to capture the brilliant, bittersweet absurdity of modern life, he has made art photography accessible with compositions of deadpan, mundane images rich in humor and irony.