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The Martin Parr Photobook Collection

Various, Martin Parr, 1800

Photo © Tate

Martin Parr (b1952) is one of Britain’s best-known photographers. His celebrated work bridges the gap between documentary photography and art, with its particular focus on consumerism, kitsch, eccentricity, national identity and cultural cliché. Parr trained at Manchester Polytechnic and began collecting photobooks in the 1970s. He defines a photobook as ‘a book – with or without text – where the work’s primary message is carried by the photographs’. These volumes are compiled by photographers or editors, with pictures carefully arranged in a specific order to creative a narrative. This story might be intended as a documentary record, or as a work of conceptual art. Or it might have been produced for propaganda purposes. Parr is interested in photobooks in all these diverse forms, and this collection now numbers around 12,000 items. Among the most important specialist areas of the collection are the volumes of Japanese, Latin American and Chinese photobooks. The Japanese books date mainly from the 1950s onwards and include rare titles and protest books, as well as many by the prolific contemporary artist Nobuyoshi Araki. Parr has pioneered the collecting of photobooks from Latin America, and his holdings reflect the many upheavals in the region during the 20th century. Some of the books have been censored or confiscated, while others appeared in very limited runs. Among the rarest and most significant titles are Sergio Larrain’s The Rectangle in the Hand (1963) (In the 20th Century, 1965, by the same photographer pictured) and Manuel Alvarez-Bravo’s Fotografias (1945). More than 700 books from China are included, the only known Chinese photobook collection in the world. These include French, English and Japanese titles published during the colonial era in China, together with Socialist Realist volumes from the early days of the Communist Party. As a whole, Parr’s photobook collection is unequalled in its breadth and quality. It also reflects his own interests as an artist and sheds light on his practice. It now joins Tate as a rich and valuable resource, as well as a complement to its holdings of modern photography from around the world.

More information

Title of artwork, date

The Martin Parr Photobook Collection, 1800

Date supported

2016

Medium and material

Other, Photobooks

Dimensions

Various

Total cost

2500000

Content note: This object record is part of our archive and has not been updated since it was first published. It may contain inaccurate information or outdated language. Please get in touch if you think this record should be amended.

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