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."

Books: The Sartorialist Milano

Fashion’s original social media master Scott Schuman, aka The Sartorialist, hits the streets of one of Europe’s most stylish cities for this tailor-made collection of Milano’s visually charismatic people. Schuman, who now calls Milano his home, combines portraiture with dazzling cityscapes and revealing reportage.

Back in 2005, Scott Schuman transformed fashion photography forever when he founded the blog The Sartorialist. The idea was simple: to open a dialogue between fashion and daily life, by shooting locals in public spaces. But in the lineage of Bill Cunningham and August Sander, that unpretentious, radical emphasis on "real people"—off the runway, out of the studio—elevated people-watching to an art and street style to high fashion, long before Instagram. In Milano, Schuman found a muse dressed for the task. 

Milano chronicles nearly twenty years of his devotion to the inimitable Milanese and their bustling, stylish city, first as a visitor, then as a local. Featuring a foreword by the late Giorgio Armani and an extensive interview unpacking Schuman's unique approach to capturing fashion in the wild, the photos are so cinematically composed, it's a wonder they were shot on the move. Schuman seems to pause Milano, not only those shoppers, skaters, and smokers who might have the time but those without it: Miuccia Prada, Emiliano Salci, Luciano Barbera, the Sozzani sisters, all caught here in the same streets and caffés. What emerges is a street-view history of modern Milanese fashion, by an American with the open mind to see the elegance overlooked by locals born to it and missed in stiffer fashion shoots—the beauty in the authentic, unpredictable styles combined only by those under no pressure to conform.  

 

Young and old, they pose while Milano flies by on bikes, Vespas, and trams, amid a dazzle of marble, frescos, sculptures, spires, columns, ornate palazzi and brutalist facades, local markets, florists, vertical gardens, iconic hangouts like Bar Basso and Marchesi 1824, espressos, handbags, high heels, and suits in every color imaginable. From the canals of Naviglio Grande to the cobblestones of Via Brera to the glass ceiling of “the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II” and Milano Centrale, the city’s blend of architectural styles is seen as a radiant reflection of its people.

 “Milano does not lend itself to superficial, fleeting acquaintances,” Armani notes in his foreword; part travelogue, part style bible, here is an exclusive chance to tune into the city’s rhythms, energy, and soul as intimately as Schuman has, to discover what makes it one-of-a-kind. For admirers of fashion, photography, and la dolce vita, this is the authentic street-style of the fashion capital of the world that won’t be found on Instagram, captured by the pioneer who made it cool and meaningful. In Schuman’s words, these aren’t just clothes, they’re clothes that tell you “who the people are”.

 

Scott Schuman: The Sartorialist Milano

Edition: English

Hardcover, 24 x 32.7 cm, 1.64 kg,  

Pages: 248