About

The Martin Parr Foundation comprises a gallery, studio, library and archive centre, and opened to the public in October 2017 in an architect-designed space in the Paintworks complex, Bristol.

The aim of the Foundation is to support and promote photography from the British Isles. It does so through an exciting programme of exhibitions and events, preserving the archive and legacy of Martin Parr, and holding a growing number of works in the Foundation’s collection and archive.

Events include public artist talks, educational workshops, book signings and seminars. The Foundation also offers the facility to book group visits.

Works in the collection include selected British and Irish photographers, as well as images taken in the British Isles by international photographers. This includes both prints and original book maquettes, and works by many photographers including Keith Arnatt, Richard Billingham, and Elaine Constantine.

The Foundation library also houses an expanding collection of British and Irish photographic books.

Martin Parr (b. 1952) is one of the most significant documentary photographers of post-war Britain. He has developed an international reputation for his innovative imagery, his oblique approach to social documentary, and his contribution to photographic culture both within the UK and abroad. Over the past 40 years, Parr’s dedication to discovering and promoting the overlooked, and his support of both photographers and photography has contributed to the way the history of the medium is understood and defined.

Martin Parr’s archive held by the Foundation consists of works spanning Parr’s career from his student days to the present, including ephemera, correspondence, books and published editorial work.

The Foundation gallery space is open to the public from Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 6pm. 

Free entry to all exhibitions