About

The Martin Parr Foundation supports and promotes photography from across the British Isles through an exciting programme of events, a rolling exhibitions programme, preservation of Parr's archive and legacy, and displays of a growing number of works in the Foundation’s collection and archive. The Foundation also produces BOP - Books on Photography - the annual Bristol based photobook festival, in collaboration with The Royal Photographic Society. 

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 Bristol's Paintworks complex. 

Events include public talks from artists, 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 captured 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 (1952 - 2025) was one of the most significant documentary photographers of post-war Britain. He 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. Parr’s dedication to discovering and promoting the overlooked contributed to the way the history of photography is understood and defined.

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

The Foundation gallery space is currently closed while preparations take place for a new exhibition of Martin Parr's iconic series 'The Last Resort,' which opens to the public from 20 February - 24 May 2026.