Martin Parr - Paris

Since 1982, Paris Audiovisual and the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (MEP) have commissioned great photographers to capture their views of Paris. Taking up the task after Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edouard Boubat, Ralph Gibson, Mimmo Jodice, Bruce Davidson and others, Martin Parr (born 1952) hones in on the city, and on Parisians and the tourists who inundate the French capital. He visits the Notre Dame cathedral, sightseer-laden riverboats, the Champs-Elysees on Bastille Day, the Paris Air Show, the Agricultural Show, along with fashion shows, museums and art fairs. Martin Parr: Grand Paris collects more than 40 of Parr’s photographs, most of which are previously unpublished, that range from newly conceived images to the iconic and the oldest of Parisian cliches. This volume, an astonishing and uncompromising portrayal of the French capital, is presented as an accurate Paris map in layout–even including the street index–with Parr’s photographs taking the place of the traditional maps.