In Memoriam: British Photographer "Martin Parr" Dies Aged 73

The iconical & legendary British documentary photographer Martin Parr has died at the age of 73, his foundation announced, after battling Myeloma, a type of blood cancer. 

One of the best-known documentary photographers of his time, whose lens was often focused on the peculiarities of the English class system, Parr died at his home in the western English city of Bristol on Sunday.

Martin Parr was born on May 23, 1952 in Epsom, Great Britain. By the age of 14, Parr knew that he wanted to become a documentary photographer. His grandfather George Parr, an amateur photographer and fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, influenced his choice. Later, from 1970 to 1973, Parr went on to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic.

At the beginning of his career, Parr worked exclusively with black and white photography, creating a series titled The Non-Conformists about rural life and endangered non-Conformists chapels (in 2013, Aperture released his book by the same title: The Non-Conformists. Photographs by Martin Parr). Since 1982, Martin Parr has switched entirely to color photography and never returned to monochrome images. Working in the genre of documentary photography, Martin Parr does not disdain from Fashion shoots for the world's leading brands, but still manages to retain his distinctive photographic handwriting.

Parr rose to prominence with his 1980s collection, The Last Resort, which depicted working-class visitors to the seaside town of New Brighton, with highly saturated shots of frazzled beachgoers lit by lurid flash.

In The Cost of Living, Parr captured gentrification under the government of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, documenting the middle classes keeping up appearances at suburban garden parties and fundraising events with an always satirical eye.

In an interview with ArtDependence Martin Parr said:  "I shoot all classes and I am fascinated by everyone in their own environment. I am very democratic. When creating a portrait of people, I like to show their environment. It’s a good strategy."