From the Beach to History: A Farewell to Martin Parr
After the homage paid by Sirmione with the Life's a Beach exhibition, the master of contemporary photography leaves a legacy of irony, humanity and perspectives on everyday life
The news of Martin Parr’s passing deeply moves Sirmione, coming just over a year after LIFE’S A BEACH, the exhibition held at Palazzo Callas Exhibitions in collaboration with Magnum Photos.
A joyful, sun-drenched showcase infused with his unmistakable irony; a special edition enriched by photographs Parr had taken in Sirmione itself—an experience he recalled with affection, and which now resonates as an even more meaningful tribute.
Parr always knew how to leave a mark. Wherever he went, he carried with him not only attention and curiosity, but also disorienting interpretations capable of sparking debate. Il Giornale di Brescia recently revisited his career in an article that highlights Parr’s time in Sirmione.
“Martin Parr’s career also passed through Brescia, between his shots on the beaches of Sirmione and the controversy surrounding the publication in Britain of Gian Butturini’s book London. The great English photographer and documentary-maker died yesterday at the age of 73, from a cancer diagnosed four years ago. A storyteller of the daily life of the middle class—of what he defined as ‘the sublime ordinary,’ skirting the edge of bad taste—he became famous for his series dedicated to the homes of Manchester’s working middle class, to working-class holidaymakers, to days at funfairs or shopping centres, as well as for his reportage on sporting events (tennis tournaments, with the camera aimed at the stands), his fashion work (he contributed to Vogue), and his involvement in music (in 2003 he directed a music video for the Pet Shop Boys). In 1994 he joined the Magnum agency, of which he was president from 2014 to 2017, and he founded an organisation bearing his name that houses his photographs and his collection. He visited Sirmione in 1999 and again in 2022 for his project on beaches around the world, celebrated in 2024 in an exhibition hosted at Palazzo Callas on the Garda peninsula. Alongside the shores of Goa, Rio de Janeiro, Acapulco… were the images he took on the pier of Lido delle Bionde and at Jamaica Beach, among swans, swimmers and sun-seekers. ‘I am very happy that my work is being shown there,’ he said in a video message for the exhibition’s opening. ‘I have been there twice and it has always been fascinating.’ […]” (Translated with Chat GPT)
Among the many articles paying tribute to the British photographer, The Guardian highlights his unique talent: the ability to transform the most ordinary details of everyday life — a cheese sandwich, a chip shop — into small cultural icons.
Read the article on theguardian.com (in English)
And today, it is particularly moving to revisit the video greeting Parr recorded for the opening of Life’s a Beach in Sirmione.
For the Magnum Photos Square Print Sale, Martin Parr chose a photo he took in Sirmione: the video
