Born in the United Kingdom in 1952, Parr developed an interest in photography during childhood, encouraged by his grandfather, George Parr. He subsequently studied photography at Manchester Polytechnic, where the work of Tony Ray-Jones and Garry Winogrand, alongside the colourful postcards of John Hinde, helped shape his artistic outlook. Over the course of his career, Parr established himself as a leading figure in social documentary photography, using everyday encounters to explore the contradictions and absurdities of contemporary life.
His distinctive visual language is defined by saturated colours, direct flash, tight framing and an eye for unexpected details. Frequently turning his attention to tourism, consumerism, leisure, food and crowded public spaces, Parr transforms seemingly ordinary scenes into humorous, often revealing observations of social behaviour. His photographs capture people and situations as he encounters them, finding moments of incongruity that invite viewers to reconsider familiar habits and conventions.
Parr joined Magnum Photos in 1994 and served as president of the prestigious photographic cooperative from 2013 to 2017. A major retrospective of his work, organised by the Barbican Art Gallery and the National Media Museum in 2002, subsequently toured Europe for five years. In 2017, he received the Sony World Photography Award for Outstanding Contribution to Photography. That same year, the Martin Parr Foundation opened in Bristol, supporting photographers whose work focuses on Britain and Ireland.
Created between 1996 and 2015, Autoportrait sees Parr turn the camera on himself, although the images were taken by professional photographers, local amateurs and photo booths encountered during his travels. Playing with retouching, exotic backdrops and disguises, the series humorously subverts the conventions of the tourist photograph. The exhibition at SAINT LAURENT Montaigne will include works such as Martin Parr, Singapore, 2007 and Martin Parr, London, England, 2008.
The presentation continues Parr’s association with Saint Laurent under Vaccarello, following their collaboration on the house’s 2025 campaign, An Ordinary Day. Parr died on 6 December 2025, leaving behind a significant body of work that continues to illuminate the peculiarities of modern life.
