The Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol pays tribute to one of the most influential bodies of work in contemporary photography. It does so with a special exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of The Last Resort, the series that launched the British photographer’s international career.
The exhibition marks four decades since the project’s debut at London’s Serpentine Gallery and its self-publication in 1986. The photographs were taken between 1983 and 1985 in the seaside resort of New Brighton, Merseyside. In them, Parr captures with irony the everyday life of the British working class during the Thatcher era.
Regarded as a key work in the history of documentary photography, The Last Resort broke with the traditional use of black and white. Parr embraced saturated colours and the use of flash in broad daylight. The result was a hyper-real aesthetic that redefined the genre. The exhibition brings together the 40 iconic photographs from the series, including the image of a baby playing near amusement machines and that of a visibly bored couple in a pastel-toned restaurant.
The creative process revealed
Beyond the final prints, the exhibition offers insight into the photographer’s creative process. Original contact sheets, press invitations and reviews published in the 1980s will be on display. Visitors will also be able to see the Plaubel Makina 67 camera Parr used to make the series, key to achieving the detail of the medium format.
With this exhibition, the Martin Parr Foundation revisits a fundamental body of work. At the same time, it highlights the legacy of a photographer who changed the way we look at the everyday. In the banal, Parr found a biting and deeply human reflection of British society.
The Last Resort can be visited from 20 February to 24 May 2026 at the Martin Parr Foundation, located at 316 Paintworks, Bristol, BS4 3AR, United Kingdom.
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